EEOC Delays Collection of 2019 EEO-1 Data Until 2021

On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it will delay its collection of 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection until 2021, in recognition of challenges currently facing employers given the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The EEOC anticipates that it will begin collecting 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data in March, 2021, and will notify filers of the precise date on which they may begin filing as soon as that information is available. Despite the temporary reprieve, employers should continue to collect and maintain the necessary race, ethnicity, gender, and EEO-1 category data required to complete the report. Last Fall, the EEOC stated that it would not seek Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to collect the “Component 2” compensation and hours data it was ultimately required to collect for 2017 and 2018, so employers will only need to submit Component 1 demographic data when filing resumes.