EEOC Issues Yearly Financial Report

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) detailed its financial management and provided a high-level overview of key performance results in its Fiscal Year 2023 Agency Financial Report (AFR) released today.

The EEOC strategically focused its resources in fiscal year 2023 to combat discrimination using all of its tools, including outreach and education, technical assistance, and enforcement. The agency also emphasized systemic enforcement to maximize its impact, filing nearly double the number of systemic lawsuits in fiscal year 2023 compared to each of the past three fiscal years. Further, the agency obtained millions in monetary benefits for workers in pursuit of its mission to prevent and remedy unlawful employment discrimination and advance equal employment opportunity for all.

Also, for the 19th consecutive year, the agency received an unmodified opinion from independent auditors, reflecting the EEOC’s sound financial management and internal controls.

“This fiscal year, the EEOC celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and other key civil rights milestones, including the 60th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the 50th Anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These milestones allow us to reflect on how far we have come as an agency and as a nation. They also allow us to recognize how far we still have to go in order to fulfill the promise of equality for America’s workers,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “Today, promoting equal employment opportunity and enforcing the nation’s federal workplace anti-discrimination laws remain as important as ever.”

During the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, in addition to addressing systemic discrimination in all forms and on all bases, the EEOC focused on preventing and combatting workplace harassment; advancing racial justice; preventing and remedying retaliation; advancing pay equity; fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the workplace to promote equal opportunity; addressing the use of technology, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other automated systems, in employment decisions; and ensuring the EEOC has the resources needed to effectively enforce the law and serve the public. The EEOC also prioritized implementation of the newly enacted Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which was signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022, and took effect on June 27.

The successes of fiscal year 2023 were made possible in part through efforts to rebuild and strengthen the enforcement capacity of the agency. During fiscal year 2023, the agency experienced a surge in public demand for the EEOC’s services, including a 10% increase in calls to the agency’s contact center and a 25% increase in emails compared to the prior fiscal year. The EEOC invested in more than 330 front-line positions, including investigators, mediators, attorneys, and equal employment specialists to meet the increased demand and improve its services to the public.

“During my tenure as Chair, I have focused on the strategic use of the agency’s resources to ensure that the EEOC can vigorously enforce the law and meet increasing requests to protect workers’ civil rights,” Burrows said. “The addition of new employees in mission critical positions was essential and must be followed by additional investments to ensure that the EEOC has resources commensurate with its task.”

Comprehensive enforcement and litigation statistics for fiscal year 2023 are expected to be released in early 2024 with the agency’s Annual Performance Report.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.