EEOC and OFCCP Launch “Hire” Initiative to Advance Equal Opportunity

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) launched a new initiative to reimagine hiring practices to advance equal employment opportunity. The goal of the initiative is to identify innovative and evidence-based practices that will help workers access good jobs and help employers utilize the talent across America’s workforce. The agencies will host a virtual roundtable on January 19 to kick off this initiative.

The Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity (HIRE) is a multi-year collaborative effort that will engage a broad array of stakeholders in expanding access to good jobs for workers from underrepresented communities and help address key hiring and recruitment challenges. 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. HIRE will identify strategies to remove hiring barriers that limit opportunity along the lines of race, color, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+ status, religion, disability, age and veteran status. 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, HIRE reflects the agencies’ commitment to building an inclusive economy that works for everyone.

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

How:

Registration is required. Video/Dial-in information will be sent separately upon registration.

Registration link: https://eeoc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Z0IJyCQ6RquQzj3kFhmN_w

Due to anticipated high volume, please connect early to ensure access.

A recording will be available at a later time after the event.

About:

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information about the EEOC’s work generally can be found at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.