EEOC Discrimination Filings Up in 2006

February 2, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - For the first time since 2002, the total number of discrimination charge filings against private-sector employers received by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) increased in 2006, coming in at 75,768, the federal agency reported Friday.

Discrimination charges in almost all areas tracked by the EEOC were up in 2006 from the year before, with discrimination filings based on race ranking as the most frequent charge, with 27,238 filings, followed by sex discrimination (23,247), retaliation (22,555), disability discrimination (15,625), age discrimination (13,569), national origin discrimination (8,327) and religious discrimination (2,541). Those charges based on age and equal pay were the only ones that fell.

According to a press release from the agency, the report also showed that 12,025 sexual harassment charges were filed with the EEOC and with state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies combined, with a record 15% being filed by men.

In terms of private sector charges that were resolved (74,308), the EEOC reported a 22% rate in victories for the charging parties and 8,201 cases solved through voluntary mediation. The agency recovered about $274 million in monetary relief for charging parties, with $44 million through litigation and $230 million through administrative enforcement, including mediation.

The full list of statistics for 2006 are available online at http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/enforcement.html .

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