{"id":170364,"date":"2025-04-04T05:07:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T05:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/business\/legal\/eeoc-puts-high-tech-employers-on-high-alert-regarding-discrimination\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T05:07:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T05:07:53","slug":"eeoc-puts-high-tech-employers-on-high-alert-regarding-discrimination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=170364","title":{"rendered":"EEOC Puts High Tech Employers on High Alert Regarding Discrimination"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By: Christopher Kelleher<\/a>, Andrew Scroggins<\/a>, and Christopher DeGroff<\/a><\/p>\n

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Seyfarth Synopsi<\/em><\/strong>s<\/strong>: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (\u201cEEOC\u201d) has issued a report that should have high tech employers on high alert. According to the EEOC\u2019s findings, analysis, and enforcement information, there are barriers to equal employment for high tech jobs, which the Agency intends to address through heightened enforcement efforts. It is important for all employers \u2013 not just high tech companies \u2013 to understand the EEOC\u2019s report and be mindful of the agency\u2019s strategic position it signals to avoid becoming the target of the EEOC\u2019s enforcement efforts.<\/em><\/p>\n

On September 11, 2024, the EEOC issued a report entitled High Tech, Low Inclusion: Diversity in the High Tech Workforce and Sector 2014-2022<\/a>, which analyzes \u201cdemographic disparities for workers in 56 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations and the industries employing them.\u201d In addition to providing an assessment of the current state of diversity in these fields, the report also discusses the most common discrimination charges filed by high tech sector workers with the EEOC.<\/p>\n

The report follows on the EEOC\u2019s Strategic Enforcement Plan<\/a> (\u201cSEP\u201d) for fiscal years 2024-2028, which stated, in part, that \u201c[t]he continued underrepresentation of women and workers of color in certain industries and sectors (for example, construction and manufacturing, high tech, STEM, and finance, among others), are also areas of particular concern, especially in industries that benefit from substantial federal investment.\u201d (We\u2019ve written previously about the proposed<\/a> and final SEP<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

EEOC Findings of Underrepresentation of Certain Workers in High Tech Jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n

The report lists numerous findings that show, according to the EEOC, that the underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, female, and older workers in the high-tech industry is due to \u201cdiscriminatory barriers,\u201d which the EEOC intends to address by proactively investigating charges of discrimination and pursuing litigation. The EEOC also plans to provide technical assistance and engage in extensive education and outreach efforts aimed at getting employers to comply with laws enforced by the EEOC.<\/p>\n

The EEOC\u2019s specific findings include:<\/p>\n