The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released its 2021 Annual Performance Report (APR). The APR contains the EEOC’s program results and management challenges for the fiscal year 2021. Also contained within the APR is a list of the EEOC’s findings from evaluations and investigations. Overall, it presents the current results of EEOC efforts in its broader mission to prevent employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Previously, in December 2021, the EEOC modernized its EEO data collections by discontinuing EEO-1 Type 6 Establishment List Reports.
Overview of the 2021 Annual Performance Report
The 2021 Annual Performance Report gives an overview of the EEOC’s work during fiscal year 2021. The APR communicates various performance results to the United States Executive and Legislative branches, as well as to the public. Information contained with the APR includes an overview of EEOC programs, its accomplishments, and various challenges during the year. In sum, the APR contains the following sections:
- Agency and Mission Information – a summary of the EEOC’s structure, mission, and vision.
- Performance Results – an overview of the progress made towards meeting several performance measures made in a previous strategic plan for fiscal years 2018 through 2022.
- Other Information – outlines significant management priorities and challenges and examines how the EEOC verifies and validates performance data.
- Evidence Building – covers findings from official evaluations and other evidence-building efforts.
- Appendices – gives required information regarding EEOC’s organization, jurisdiction, leadership, and performance as requested by the U.S. Congress.
The following highlights from the APR’s Performance Results section give crucial insight into the EEOC’s progress throughout the year.
Performance Results
During fiscal year 2021, the EEOC focused on preventing systemic discrimination, pay discrimination, promoting racial justice, the pandemic’s impact on civil rights, and agency strengthening. In particular, the EEOC:
- Resolved 21 lawsuits over race and national origin discrimination, resulting in $15 million in monetary relief.
- Worked closely with the Biden Administration’s “whole-of-government” approach to tackle systemic discrimination.
- Benefited 51 individuals through 10 lawsuits alleging compensation discrimination, for a total of $1 million in relief.
- Processed 3,631 charges alleging COVID-19-related discrimination.
- Strengthened enforcement by filling 450 agency positions, ending the year with more than 2,100 employees.
The EEOC’s Closing Thoughts
In conclusion, the EEOC is confident that in 2021, it was able to advance its mission to prevent employment discrimination. According to EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows, “While fiscal year 2021 was a year of both challenges and opportunities, the EEOC repeatedly rose to the occasion. The myriad civil rights challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic … underscored the importance of the EEOC’s work to build respectful and inclusive workplaces.”