Jan 12 -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) are joining together to reimagine hiring and recruitment practices in ways that advance equal employment opportunity and help provide access to good jobs for workers.
America works best when we expand opportunity to allow all of us to realize our full potential and contribute to the country’s economic success. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved communities, the growing recognition of systemic inequality, and calls for racial justice have brought national attention to the unfinished business of equal opportunity. Many employers have recognized that they have an important role to play by strengthening their diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts in their workplaces. As our nation recovers from the pandemic, we are committed to building an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
The Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity (HIRE) is a multi-year collaborative effort that will engage a broad array of stakeholders to expand access to good jobs for workers from underrepresented communities and help address key hiring and recruiting challenges.
HIRE will:
Host convenings to examine organizational policy and practices to reimagine equity and expand opportunity in hiring.
Identify strategies to remove unnecessary barriers to hiring, and to promote effective, job-related hiring and recruitment practices to cultivate a diverse pool of qualified workers.
Promote equity in the use of tech-based hiring systems.
Develop resources to promote adoption of innovative and evidence-based recruiting and hiring practices that advance equity.
How will this initiative expand opportunity?: HIRE will work to inform workplace DEIA initiatives by developing a better understanding among employers of the needs and challenges faced by various underrepresented communities. Especially now, as employers confront changing labor market dynamics, many are searching for strategies to recruit and hire from new and diverse talent sources. We are committed to helping ensure that as our nation recovers from the pandemic, we build an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
What can we expect to see from HIRE?: HIRE will engage a broad array of stakeholders in pursuit of a common goal – to expand access to good jobs for workers from underrepresented communities and help address key hiring and recruiting challenges.
Many employers and worker organizations are seeking actionable strategies to ensure DEIA programs promote meaningful progress while ensuring compliance with equal opportunity laws. The EEOC and OFCCP will convene a series of roundtables and meetings, as well as public forums to identify actionable strategies to promote organizational policies and practices that advance equity. The EEOC and OFCCP will develop resources such as guidance documents or promising practice resources. These resources will promote the adoption of evidence-based research and innovative initiatives that help embed equity in recruitment and hiring practices.
How can I get involved?: We look forward to engaging a broad array of employers, federal contractors, worker and civil rights organizations, social scientists, and others working to develop innovative recruiting and hiring initiatives. Please share resources, research and ideas at HIRE-initiative@eeoc.gov and HIRE-initiative@dol.gov.
The first in a series of roundtables, “Building on Dr. King’s Legacy: Launch of HIRE, a Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity,” will focus on strategies for advancing racial equity and will bring together employers and worker organizations to explore how we can work together to promote recruitment and hiring practices that advance racial equity and create pathways to good jobs for workers from underserved communities.
When: Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00p.m. ET
Who: Roundtable participants will include:
Jenny R. Yang, Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Contract Compliance Programs
Charlotte A. Burrows, Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Jocelyn Samuels, Vice Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Sindy Benavides, Chief Executive Officer, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Kathleen Lundquist, President and CEO, APTMetrics
Fred Redmond, Secretary Treasurer, AFL-CIO
Veta Richardson, President and CEO, Association of Corporate Counsel
Lola Smallwood Cuevas, Project Director and Founder of Los Angeles Black Worker Center, UCLA Labor Center
Cid Wilson, President and CEO, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility
EEOC HIRE webpage:
https://www.eeoc.gov/hiring-initiative-reimagine-equity-hire
EEOC news release:
https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-and-ofccp-launch-hire-initiative-advance-equal-opportunity
DOL HIRE webpage:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/Hire-Initiative
DOL news release:
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20220119