Civil rights groups and scholars oppose EEOC plan to scrap workforce demographic reporting

At an EEOC hearing, researchers and advocacy groups urged the agency to keep collecting annual workplace demographic data, warning that the proposed termination would hinder anti-discrimination efforts.

During a public hearing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission heard 22 speakers argue against a plan to discontinue the mandatory EEO-1 workforce demographic survey that has been required since 1966. Civil-rights advocates, including Legal Defense Fund counsel Amalea Smirniotopoulos, emphasized that the data are vital for tracking discrimination against Black workers and other minorities. Academics such as Donald Tomaskovic-Devey and Rachel Lee highlighted how the reports have informed research on the “bamboo ceiling” and broader equity trends.

A small group of proponents, echoing the Trump administration’s stance, claimed the filing requirement is costly and may encourage quota-type practices. Conservative commentator Rachel Morrison questioned the report’s relevance to Title VII enforcement, while employer representatives like David Fortney and Michael Eastman cited examples of companies using the data to identify and correct biased hiring patterns. The proposal, subject to a 30-day comment period ending Aug. 24, represents a key step in the administration’s push to overhaul civil-rights enforcement.