The past year brought "once-in-a-career" momentum to the diversity and inclusion profession, sources told HR Dive earlier this year.

Among other things, employers were called to respond to protests for racial justice amid a pandemic that disproportionately affected women and nonwhite workers. Companies leaned heavily on their D&I pros, and those without such experts on staff went looking for them, LinkedIn data revealed.

And while pressure from shareholders, employees and the public have had some impact on employers' D&I initiatives and stats, more demands may be on the way. Glassdoor added employer D&I rankings to its site, just before Fortune announced that its famed Fortune 500 list will include D&I rankings beginning next year.