EEOC sees increase in discrimination claims

In the past year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has seen 7.2 % in discrimination claims being filed with agency. Coverage here. The EEOC handles charges under Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the Equal Pay Act, and GINA. EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien stated, “Discrimination continues to be a substantial problem for too many job seekers and workers, and we must continue to build our capacity to enforce the laws that ensure that workplaces are free of unlawful bias.” Detailed statistics on the charges filed with the EEOC are available on its website. The numbers show marked increases in charges involving disability discrimination and all types of retaliation.

And in other interesting EEOC news, the EEOC recently brought a lawsuit against Kaplan Higher Education Corporation, accusing it of discriminating against black job applicants through the way it uses credit histories in its hiring process. The EEOC alleges that Kaplan’s rejection of job applicants based on their credit history has “disparate impact” on black applicants.