From DEI crackdowns, tariff tensions to political speech restrictions and talent mobility nightmares, Trump’s second term is reshaping the risk landscape for multinational employers. Littler’s upcoming 2025 European Executive Employer Conference will discuss how multinational employers can navigate growing transatlantic divides.
Under the new Trump administration, multinational employers are no longer preparing for change—they are operating in it. From anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) crackdowns to tariff tensions and talent mobility nightmares, global employers are increasingly grappling with a widening gap between U.S. policy shifts on the one hand and legal requirements in other jurisdictions on the other, and all in a context where changes often happen at light speed and with little or no notice. While these policy changes continue to be challenged in the courts,1 the reality is that they have reshaped the risk landscape. Here are three key pressure points for multinational employers and how to stay resilient and ready to handle them.
1. DEI in the Crossfire: Navigating Legal Divergence
After returning to office, President Trump issued a series of executive orders targeting DEI initiatives and policies. For example, in January 2025, a landmark executive order that required affirmative action in government contracting was repealed. Another order stated that the federal government would recognize only male and female biological sexes (not gender or...
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