NHL sets up a diversity hiring baseline after finding 84% of its workforce is white and 62% is male

The NHL announced that it recently conducted its first internal demographic study of its workforce and all 32 teams, and believes it needs to do more to up the diversity of the organization.

The ‘Accelerating Diversity and Inclusion’ report was released on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, which found that 83.6% of the NHL’s workforce is white, while nearly 62% is also male.

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The NHL's first internal demographic study found its workforce to be overwhelmingly white. Kim Davis, NHL EVP of social impact, growth and legislative affairs, says seeing the numbers is a first step toward fixing the problem. by @SWhyno apne.ws/Huo6AiW

“The whole purpose behind doing a workforce study is to provide a baseline: a fact-based baseline so that you can begin to develop very intentional and specific strategies around where you need to hire, how you need to hire, how you need to improve your brand,” Kim Davis, the NHL’s executive vice president of social impact, growth and legislative affairs said.

The report was conducted on a voluntary and anonymous basis and the results reflect approximately 67% of all employees at the organization. 

The report states that “The National Hockey League and its 32 Clubs are working diligently to bring about a new era of inclusion, diversity, and equality in hockey – while also leveraging a global platform and influence to promote positive social change.”

“The past two years have seen the development of new strategies and programs to achieve an empowering environment for underrepresented players at all levels of hockey and to promote allyship among hockey’s traditional demographics.”

Adding that “While progress has been made, there is much more work to be done.”

“The lived experiences of NHL players, fans, and employees who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) continue to provide examples of how structures and cultures must shift to create an inclusive environment for all. We recognize the need for change alongside the NHL’s commitment to advance these changes on and off the ice.”

The NHL says they will combat “racism and discrimination through education and accountability”, and look to increase the diversity of the workforce and on-ice talent to “expand our talent pool through Jopwell’s network of Black, Latinx, and Native American professionals.”

The NHL says they hired “ a full-time Director of Recruiting in late 2021 who is focused on attracting diverse talent to the organization.”

“The NHL established Employee Resource Groups for employees of color, LGBTQ+ employees, women, and young professionals.”

The NHL also says they will move toward more political activism including endorsements “of the Freedom to Vote Act, which addresses barriers that affect BIPOC and disabled voters”.

As well as advocacy on climate change: “our roundtable with the Environmental Protection Agency, which discussed environmental justice for groups disproportionately affected by climate change”.

Part of the plan also includes education to “Improve awareness, consciousness, and competency of personnel throughout all levels of the game on issues of bias, identity, racism, and culture.”

The NHL says “every full-time League Office employee – from senior leadership to support roles – participated in an immersive two-day Inclusion Learning Experience that explored how bias, privilege, and power operate in society.”

The organization also says they want to “Improve recruiting, hiring, and development practices throughout hockey to increase BIPOC and female involvement in business and hockey operations positions.”

Another part of the NHL’s plan is to increase the marketing strategy to “Further develop content and communications strategies to increase and expand the appeal of hockey to young, diverse audiences.”

The NHL will also change its operations as to how partnerships are chosen, saying they seek to “Advance supplier and vendor relationships to further engage BIPOC and female-owned businesses, and shift business partner relationships to collaborate on initiatives focused on BIPOC and female audiences.”

You can read the whole Accelerating Diversity and Inclusion report here.