Updated Census Data in Affirmative Action Programs

The EEO tabulation file is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and forms the basis for the external a...



Posted by Charu Avasthy, PHR, Senior HR Consultant on January 20 2021
Charu Avasthy, PHR, Senior HR Consultant

The EEO tabulation file is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and forms the basis for the external availability calculation in Affirmative Action Plans. The file is sponsored by the following agencies tasked with monitoring employment practices and enforcing civil rights laws in the workplace:

  • Department of Justice’s Employment Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division
  • Equal Employment Opportunity commission (EEOC)
  • Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
  • Office of Personnel Management

The EEO Tabulation file has census data for all areas (the U.S., states, metropolitan and micropolitan areas, counties, and places) by employment (EEO-1/EEO-4/EEO-6) and occupational categories. Federally compliant Affirmative Action Plans are required to use data from this file to compare the composition of their workforce to what is available in the labor market and establish placement goals where areas of underutilization exist.

Starting in 2010, the sponsors decided to use the 2006-2010 (5 year) American Community Survey (ACS) data rather than use the decennial census data to generate the EEO Tabulation file. According to the census.gov FAQ page, the next EEO Tabulation will use 2014-2018 (5 year) American Community Survey (ACS) data and is expected in the Spring of 2021. Contractors are usually given a period of time to begin using the new census data once it is released.

We will continue to monitor and provide updates on the new file as it becomes available.

Charu Avasthy, PHR, Senior HR Consultant
Charu Avasthy, PHR, Senior HR Consultant
Charu Avasthy is a leading Senior Human Resource Consultant for Berkshire. With over ten years in the compliance industry, Charu is a subject matter expert in compliance regulations and she provides customized solutions to a national base of clients across a broad span of industries.

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