Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of employees say it’s important for their employers to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, down from 72 per cent in 2024, according to Benefits Canada’s 2025 Future of Work Survey.
Additionally, 64 per cent of employees rated their employer’s DEI efforts as good (up from 56 per cent last year), 29 per cent as average (compared to 34 per cent) and seven per cent as poor (compared to 10 per cent).
DEI has remained an active topic of discussion at Niagara Casinos, particularly this year, said Bryan Crisp, the company’s human resources operations manager, during a panel discussion of the survey results at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Future of Work Summit.
Read: Employers maintaining DEI practices as concept evolves: webinar
“We clarify that DEI is [still a key consideration]. Was it living near the top or the higher echelons of some strategic planning from a leadership or HR perspective? Yes. Has it dropped down a little bit in ranking in terms of level of importance and priority? Yes. But we are fortunate to have a very active DEI team to begin with.”
The organization uses multiple forms of communications to promote its DEI events, but Crisp noted DEI exists beyond leadership and strategic initiatives because a lot of the materials and events are led by employees. “One of our benefits associates is [Indigenous] and he has put on two separate seminars on Every Child Matters, but also on his heritage. They had a great turnout and it gives you a newfound appreciation. This has sparked interest in employees from other cultures or other DEI worlds to bring more of these initiatives to light.”
The community aspect is also important, whether it’s fundraising or involving the community, he added, noting those initiatives often come from employees who find value in how Niagara Casino supports its diverse workforce and want to share it with their community.
Read: Employers prioritizing workplace culture, DEI in communications strategies: survey
The survey also found 78 per cent of employers reported having a documented or in-progress DEI strategy, a significant increase from previous years (65 per cent in 2024, 70 per cent in 2023 and 51 per cent in 2022). However, 23 per cent of employers said they reduced or eliminated DEI programs, while 19 per cent rebranded them, yet only nine per cent of employees noticed.
For Corus Entertainment, DEI has always been a key area of focus, said Aastha Juneja, the company’s head of compensation and benefits. “We have a self-[identification] survey, which is obviously all voluntary. We have a DEI council and we have multiple [employee resource groups] that help drive our agenda based on different groups. Inclusion is also part of our engagement survey. So, for us, it has always been [important] and we make sure we take our learnings from there and build it into our action plan every year.”
Notably, the survey found employers cited fostering inclusive culture (66 per cent, up from 56 per cent in 2024), attracting and retaining talent (65 per cent compared to 44 per cent) and expanding the hiring pool (47 per cent compared to 31 per cent) as their main reasons for maintaining DEI strategies.
Read: Employers downplaying DEI sending wrong message to employees: expert
Download a copy of the 2025 Future of Work Survey report here.