Federal Eye
Report shows federal employment diversity flat
By Joe Davidson August 18 at 10:00 AM
Racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the federal workforce remained essentially flat from fiscal 2010 to 2011, according to data the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) planned to release Monday.
The percentage of women in the workforce dropped slightly, while percentages for African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders rose almost imperceptibly. The increases were less than one-tenth of a percentage point.
Women made up 43.81 percent of the workforce in 2011, down from 43.97 percent the year before, “after a slow but steady increase,” according to the EEOC.
For racial and ethnic groups, the changes were:
African American, 17.94 percent to 17.97 percent
Latino, 7.90 percent to 7.95 percent
Asian, 5.90 percent to 5.95 percent
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.36 percent to 0.38 percent.
The statistics show that, in some cases, the federal workforce is less diverse than the population in general.
Latino men and women and white women “remained below their overall availability in the national civilian labor force, as reported in the 2000 census,” the EEOC reported.
Despite a small increase in the year-to-year rate for people with disabilities, the longer view shows their employment rate declining. From 2002 through 2011, the rate dropped to 0.90 percent, from 1.07 percent.
Employment of people with disabilities “fell far short of the 2.00% goal,” the EEOC said.
According to Equal Employment Opportunity Management Directive 715 (MD-715), issued in 2003, “Agency heads must issue a written policy statement expressing their commitment to EEO and a workplace free of discriminatory harassment. This statement should be issued at the beginning of their tenure and thereafter on an annual basis and disseminated to all employees.”
Yet, only 56.4 percent of the agencies issued the written policy statement in 2011, a big drop from the 85.4 percent in 2010.
The directive says, “Commitment to equal employment opportunity must be embraced by agency leadership and communicated through the ranks from the top down.”
This raises the question: What does the low percentage of agencies issuing the policy statement in 2011 say about their commitment to equal employment opportunity?
Joe Davidson writes the Federal Diary, a column about the federal workplace that celebrated its 80th birthday in November 2012.
American Federation of Government Employees Local 704 