CWC’s FAQs On The New Federal Race/Ethnicity Data Reporting Standards

May 2, 2024

What's New

CWC prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions to explain the new standards for collecting and reporting federal race and ethnicity data. The White House Office of Management and Budget published the standards in March. They took effect immediately, but federal agencies have five years to implement them fully.

What It Means

The new standards will have a major impact on the reporting requirements imposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

Here are some observations from CWC’s FAQs:

• Employers may use the new Middle Eastern or North African category now when employees self-identify their race and ethnicity, but until federal reporting requirements change, employers still must consider MENA employees to be members of the White group.
• It may be less disruptive for employers to postpone using the MENA category until there is more information about other required changes.
• Proposed changes to the EEO-1 report will be published for notice and comment before they take effect.
• It has not been determined whether the EEO-1 report will retain the “Two or More Races” category.
• CWC expects EEOC and OFCCP to adopt a uniform approach, but there is no guarantee.
• It is likely that employers will eventually have to resurvey their incumbent employees under the new race and ethnicity standards.

What You Should Do

Employers would be wise to familiarize themselves with the answers to the FAQs posted by CWC. CWC members can consult our staff through MemberAssist at [email protected].

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