EEOC Job Bias Charges Reach Record-High

As reported in the Human Resources Newsletter, Volume 9 Issue 7, workplace discrimination charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") soared to an unprecedented level of 95,402 during Fiscal Year 2008, a 15% increase from the prior year. The 2008 data show that all major categories of charges filed increased. Charges based on age and retaliation saw the largest annual increases, while allegations based on race, sex and retaliation continued as the most frequently filed charges. While an increase was to be expected based on the increase in unemployment, the size of the increase has been a surprise.