US agency proposes ending racial and gender workforce data collection

Republican-led EEOC proposal to end workforce diversity reporting heads to public commentary amid sharp criticism.The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the chief regulatory agency for enforcing US anti-discrimination laws, has proposed ending a decades-old requirement that US employers submit annual data on the racial and gender breakdown of their workforces.In a 2-1 vote, the Republican majority advanced the proposal, which will now move to a 30-day public comment period before final approval of the measure. The commission is set to hold a public hearing for the measure on August 11.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US eyes new tariffs as existing trade duties near expirationlist 2 of 4External review finds no wrongdoing in Gates Foundation–Epstein linkslist 3 of 4An embattled coal terminal could be a lifeline for US coallist 4 of 4Iranians struggle to get by amid US war and domestic woesend of listThe reports, known as EEO-1, collect aggregate data of demographics rather than specific identification of workers. They are designed to help the federal government understand employment patterns and trends as well as identify any patterns of systemic discrimination.For the last 60 years, the EEOC has required companies with at least 100 employees or federal contractors with at least 50 workers to submit this data. It is now collected by 73,000 different employers covering 50 million workers.The agency argued that the requirement is no longer needed, pointing to the expense it imposes on employers, which it estimates at almost $275m for a programme that costs the EEOC $4m.It also claimed that the act, despite being law for more than half a century, is inconsistent with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the provision that bars employers from discriminating against workers or job applicants on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin.“They [the requirements] stand in direct tension with Title VII’s requirement that employment practices be colorblind. Collecting such data absent a specific allegation not only risks hindering effective enforcement but also raises constitutional concerns,” Andrea Lucas, chair of the EEOC, said in prepared remarks that she shared on LinkedIn.