A new federal initiative, launched by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, is meant to advance equal employment opportunities for workers from underrepresented communities.
The Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity, or HIRE, is a multi-year collaborative effort between the agencies. HIRE is designed to identify strategies to remove hiring barriers that limit opportunity along the lines of race, color, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+ status, religion, disability, age and veteran status.
“The HIRE initiative aims to expand employment opportunities as our nation recovers from the pandemic,” EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows stated in a joint press release. “Working with employers and workers to prevent unfair and unnecessary obstacles to equal employment opportunity is a key component of this initiative. This collaboration between EEOC and OFCCP will help create an economy that works for everyone.”
OFCCP Director Jenny R. Yang said, “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.”
In the first of a series of roundtable discussions and meetings with employers, workers and civil rights leaders Wednesday, titled “Building on Dr. King’s Legacy: Launch of HIRE, a Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity,” the agencies solicited input on best practices to promote recruitment and hiring practices that advance racial equity for underserved communities.
“What better time, as we mark Dr. King’s historic legacy, to introduce the HIRE initiative, which furthers the EEOC’s vital mission to safeguard and advance equal employment opportunity for all Americans, including workers from underrepresented communities,” EEOC Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels said.
