Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“There is a strong case for saying that equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) imposes costs upon businesses that make them more expensive and less competitive than they could otherwise be. EDI functions rarely pay for themselves. Diversity officers, training programmes, consultants and reporting systems all carry direct costs. For a large firm this might be marginal. For a small or medium enterprise it can be a meaningful fixed cost that a foreign competitor without equivalent obligations does not bear. EDI involves time diverted from output because training sessions, unconscious bias workshops and committee meetings consume staff hours. Those hours are not spent on production, sales or innovation. The opportunity cost is real even where the direct financial outlay looks small.” (07/23/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-costs-money