GAO finds federal agencies could improve oversight of EEO requirements

 

POSTED ON Dec 26, 2017

 

The percentage of minority workers in technology increased from 2005 to 2015, but GAO found that female, and Hispanic workers remain a smaller proportion of the workforce in mathematics, computing, and engineering occupations.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency. They help improve the performance of the federal government and provide Congress with information.

For this report, the GAO analyzed workforce data from the American Community Survey for 2005-2015 and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Employer Information Reports for 2007-2015. GAO also analyzed the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) data on compliance evaluations for fiscal years 2011-2016. GAO interviewed agency officials, researchers, and workforce, industry, and company representatives.

The report examines trends in the gender, racial, and ethnic composition of the technology sector workforce and  EEOC and OFCCP oversight of technology companies’ compliance with equal employment and affirmative action requirements.

The report says that both the EEOC and the OFCCP have taken steps to enforce equal employment and affirmative action requirements in the technology sector, but face limitations.

While EEOC has identified barriers to recruitment and hiring in the technology sector as a strategic priority, when EEOC conducts investigations, it does not systematically record the type of industry, therefore limiting sector-related analyses to help focus its efforts.

In addition, OFCCP’s regulations may hinder its ability to enforce contractors’ compliance because OFCCP directs contractors to set placement goals for all minorities as a group rather than for specific racial/ethnic groups.

GAO makes 6 recommendations, including that the EEOC  develop a timeline to improve industry data collection and OFCCP takes steps toward requiring more specific minority placement goals by contractors and assess key aspects of its selection approach.