Online Program

The Path to a 21st Century Data Collection: The Modernization of the Employer Information EEO-1 Survey (308172)

Keywords: modernization, evaluation, data, analytics, workforce, diversity

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission administers the EEO-1 data collection, as part of its authority under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as amended. The EEO-1 collection is an annual survey of private employers and federal contractors, that collects data on race, ethnicity and sex by job category. The EEO-1 survey has not undergone a comprehensive review in two decades. Many of the current methods of data collection, reporting, and access are outdated and inefficient for the EEO-1. The EEOC is currently undergoing a major modernization to add statistical and methodological rigor to the EEO-1. The effort consists of evaluating and revamping data collection, reporting and access. Improvements are being made to improve the complete data lifecycle of EEO-1 data, including revising survey instrument, improving statistical rigor, reducing burden on respondents, enhancing use of survey data in support of the EEOC mission, and improving public access to the data. Further, research and methods to collect race, ethnicity, and sex, which are key elements for the EEO-1 report, have also changed in the past 2 decades, while demographic reporting requirements have remained consistent for the EEO-1 collection. Several issues required immediate attention. The EEO-1 survey did not have documented response rates, the survey was often kept open almost a year past the date it was scheduled to close, and the burden estimates associated with the Paperwork Reduction Act needed to be revised. This presentation will describe completed activities to address urgent issues; outline opportunities and challenges to overhaul the EEO-1 data collection, and projected improvements associated with the modernization efforts; and outline how efforts align with the tenets of the Federal Data Strategy and the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018.