EEOC and OFCCP Launch H.I.R.E.

Good news for those struggling to find work: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) have announced the Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity (HIRE), a multi-year effort to expand employment access to workers from predominantly underrepresented communities.

HIRE vows to implement a host of methods to help provide access to meaningful jobs. In addition, the effort promises to build on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by identifying ways to remove hiring barriers for minorities.

The EEOC's official website promises that HIRE will do the following:

• Host convenings to examine organizational policy and practices to reimagine equity and expand hiring opportunities.
• Identify strategies to remove unnecessary barriers to hiring, and to promote effective, job-related hiring and recruitment practices to cultivate a diverse pool of qualified workers.
• Promote equity in the use of tech-based hiring systems.
• Develop resources to promote the adoption of innovative and evidence-based recruiting and hiring practices that advance equity.

In a roundtable half on January 19th, OFCCP Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director Jenny R. Yang announced the motivation behind the new initiative:

"The nation's economy continues to add jobs, but we know that many people are still struggling to find quality employment while many employers are reassessing their recruitment and hiring practices to find the talent they need. Together with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, we will engage with innovative employer and worker efforts to identify actionable strategies to remove barriers to hiring to unlock our nation's full talent."

It's no secret that minorities face more hiring barriers and that the wealth of hiring challenges traps these communities in a vicious cycle of poverty. So we can't wait to see what becomes of HIRE and how it helps the nation's minority communities find more employment opportunities.

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