Equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) positions and training cost the taxpayer billions every year, a Freedom of Information request recently found.
The eye-watering sum was cited in an independent report commissioned by the Inclusion at Work Panel last year.
The FOI was submitted to 6,000 public bodies on behalf of Tory think tank Conservative Way Forward.
The right-leaning think tank also sifted through the accounts of government departments and the external bodies and charities they’re funding.
The FOI request revealed that 10,000 EDI jobs are costing the UK taxpayer £557million a year, as well as one million working days lost. The money saved from these positions could fund around 12,500 nurses.
Equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) positions and training cost the taxpayer billions every year
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The bombshell revelation comes after LinkedIn data published in 2020 found that the UK employs almost twice as many D&I workers (per 10,000 employees) as any other country.
This is dwarfed by America, however, which seeds companies spend around $8 billion on DEI efforts.
Not for much longer. Donald Trump is busy at work rolling back DEI initiatives inside and outside the government.
Among the flurry of executive orders he signed during his first days as US president, two were targeted at DEI.
The first executive order, signed on January 20th,aims to end what Trump described as “radical” and “wasteful” DEI programs within the federal government.
The second signed around the same time focuses on reforming the federal hiring process to restore merit-based employment.
Meanwhile, taking a chainsaw to DEI initiatives falls under the remit of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by Elon Musk.
DOGE aims to streamline federal operations, reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies, cut wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies.
Last week, the department posted on social media that it had eliminated 104 DEI-related contracts worth $1billion.
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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has eliminated 104 DEI-related contracts worth $1billion
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The move is likely to cause companies outside of the US to reconsider their DEI programmes.
A recent survey of 140 UK employers conducted earlier this week by Occupational Health Assessment found that a majority felt the policy shift under Trump would affect UK businesses.
The research found that 69 per cent of employers thought there would be some changes made to the UK workplace as a result of the US reversal, although only six per cent of respondents thought those changes would be major.
Just 16 per cent of employers thought there would be no change here in the UK, with the same number unclear as to what might happen.
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