Trump’s DEI, immigration shifts hit employers hard in 2025

The share of employers who said policy shifts in these areas were most impactful was more than twice the proportion who cited other workplace policy and regulatory areas in the report. They include:

• Employee health insurance and related benefits (30%)
• Artificial intelligence use in the workplace (30%)
• Wage and hour or pay practices (28%)
• LGBTQ+ protections in the workplace (21%)
• Union activity / labour relations (15%)

“From new immigration policies and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program crackdowns to booming artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and state legislative changes, businesses are navigating myriad impacts to their workplaces and workers alike,” the report read.

Impact of DEI, immigration shifts

It described the focus on DEI as “understandable,” with Trump’s first executive orders ending DEI programs in the Federal government and instructing federal agencies to identify private sector targets for DEI investigations.

Littler’s survey from 2025 even revealed that 55% of employers were considering new or further rollbacks of DEI programmes, as 60% of employers expressed concern about DEI-related litigation.

Meanwhile, Trump’s immigration policy shifts have also delivered staffing challenges in workplaces, including the imposed US$100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications.