The federal government is the largest employer in the country. In 1979, we found that the exams administered by the Office of Personnel Management to screen disqualified federal job applicants from black job applicants at higher rates than white job applicants. This offered no real opportunity for black job seekers to be fairly assessed for federal jobs.
Federal agencies must take full advantage of our nation’s talent by promoting workplaces that provide fair and equitable conditions and the opportunity for employees to reach their full potential. Over the years, we’ve looked at agencies’ efforts to build a more diverse workforce and found that some federal agencies, such as the State Department and the United States Agency for International Developmentstill fight for equal opportunity in the hiring and promotion of minority staff.
Unemployment rates tend to be higher for black and Hispanic workers than for white workers, including during economic downturns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lower percentage of black applicants than white applicants received unemployment benefits in some states we looked at. Additionally, a national survey found that between March and October 2020, a higher percentage of black and Hispanic applicants were denied benefits compared to white applicants.
See our past equal employment reports.
