EEOC: Our Discrimination Reports Were Basically Useless
Published Date: 7/23/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The EEOC wants to stop requiring employers to file several annual reports about their workforce because these reports don’t really help fight discrimination and create extra work. This change affects all employers who currently submit these reports and aims to save time and money. Comments are open until August 24, 2026, with a public hearing on August 11, so now’s the time to speak up!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
EEOC to Remove EEO-1 through EEO-6
The EEOC is proposing to rescind and remove the annual filing requirements for the EEO-1, EEO-2, EEO-3, EEO-4, EEO-5, and EEO-6 reports and the recordkeeping and record-preservation requirements tied to those reports. If finalized, employers who currently submit any of those reports would no longer be required to file them and would no longer have to keep the specific records tied to completing those reports.
EEO-1 Filing Thresholds Affected
The proposal would remove the EEO-1 reporting obligation that historically required private employers with 100 or more employees and certain federal contractors with 50 or more employees and at least $50,000 in federal contracts to report employee demographic breakdowns. Employers meeting those size and contractor thresholds would no longer be subject to the EEO-1 reporting requirement if the rescission is finalized.
Recordkeeping Duties for Public Employers Removed
The EEOC proposes to rescind recordkeeping provisions tied to EEO reports that require political jurisdictions with 15 or more employees to keep records needed to complete the EEO-4 report and similar recordkeeping obligations for public elementary/secondary schools tied to EEO-5. If finalized, those specific recordkeeping/preservation duties linked to the EEO-4 and EEO-5 reports would be removed.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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