While the Supreme Court is weighing the legality of universities’ race-conscious admissions processes, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) views acts like the tragic killing of Black and brown people and high-profile incidents of bias and violence based on protected categories, like race, outside the workplace as a “painful reminder of systemic racism.” Within the workplace, the disproportionate economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of color and other vulnerable workers magnifies continued inequalities. It is against this backdrop that on January 10, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) published a request for comment in the Federal Register on the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan for 2023—2027.
The EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan:
The EEOC adopted its first Strategic Enforcement Plan (“SEP”) for FY 2013—2016. The enforcement subject matter priorities, addressed in greater detail below, for SEP for 2023—2027 are meant to ensure that the agency’s resources have strategic impact to prevent and remedy discrimination and advance equal opportunity employment.
- Eliminating Barriers in Recruitment and Hiring
The request for comments, notes there is a lack of diversity in certain industries such as construction and high tech. To achieve the EEOC’s purpose of advancing equal employment opportunities, the EEOC will focus on recruitment and hiring practices including: Continue reading