Employers are navigating a complex benefits landscape when it comes to reproductive health, as they seek to comply with various state laws restricting abortion while ensuring their employees can still access care they need.

A recent survey finds reproductive health access is top-of-mind for US adults, and this has implications for HR leaders. Abortion restrictions are prompting some adults to relocate, while reproductive health benefits are proving to be a key factor for job-seekers as they weigh whether to apply for or accept a role.

How reproductive healthcare policies are affecting workers, job-seekers. One in five adults planning to have children in the next decade said they had moved, or knew someone who had moved, to another state due to abortion restrictions, according to the survey, which was conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in partnership with Morning Consult and the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Reproductive health benefits are also influencing career decisions among this group, with 57% saying they’d be more likely to apply for or accept a job that offers them.

For more on how abortion bans are affecting the labor market, keep reading here.—CV

DEI rollbacks? Not so much in one east Asian country, according to a new report.

Where in the world? An overwhelming number of employers in Japan plan to stick with their current DEI initiatives, according to a recent Reuters survey. Some 77% of companies said they will “continue promoting diversity,” while just 3% are “reviewing” their DEI initiatives.

Japan, however, hasn’t adopted diversity and inclusion efforts as much as some other countries, and appears to be struggling with inclusion, according to the Japan Times. One in five respondents to Reuters’ survey said they have no plans to diversify their workforce.

Satellite view. Dozens of employers in the US have been convinced by DEI opponents to back away from their diversity programming since 2023, but especially in recent months, following multiple moves by the government to discourage and prohibit the practice. This has prompted some companies outside the US to recalibrate their initiatives moving forward.

For more on how employers with a global footprint are approaching DEI, keep reading here.—KP

As an anti-DEI movement continues to unfold across the country, driven by the Trump administration, some cybersecurity leaders are keeping their fingers crossed it doesn’t impede the sector’s ongoing efforts to funnel in more underrepresented voices into the workforce.

Since assuming office in January, President Trump has taken swift action to dismantle DEI initiatives—which the new White House describes as “illegal” and “immoral”—across the federal government. In the early days of his presidency, Trump shut down federal diversity offices and signed several executive orders intended to dismantle DEI programs, moves that have been met with legal challenges.

Many corporations are following suit and turning the page on prior DEI commitments. Target, PepsiCo, and Walmart are just a few of the companies that made the move to scale back their DEI policies and programs in recent months.

For more on how federal DEI rollbacks may affect the cybersecurity talent pipeline, keep reading on IT Brew.—BM