Employers Should Start Now to Meet May 17 EEO-1 Reporting Deadline

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) just opened the 2021 EEO-1 Component 1 Data Collection platform. Eligible employers need to submit demographic workforce data, including data by race/ethnicity, sex and job categories, by May 17.

The EEO-1 Component 1 is a mandatory annual data collection that requires all private sector employers with 100 or more employees, and federal contractors with 50 or more employees meeting certain criteria, to submit demographic workforce data. 

The May 17 deadline for submitting and certifying 2021 EEO-1 Component 1 Reports gives employers five weeks to file, a significantly shorter time period than prior years. To meet the deadline, the EEOC strongly encourages eligible filers to begin the process as soon as possible. The EEOC noted improvements to the filing process “by making it more user-friendly and streamlining functions, including additional self-service options, and providing a new Filer Support Team Message Center for filer support.” The new resources can be found on the EEOC’s dedicated EEO-1 Component 1 website.  

In other areas, the EEOC has taken steps purporting to promote greater gender inclusion. It gives individuals the option to select a non-binary “X” gender marker during the voluntary self-identification questions when filing a charge of discrimination. Employers can report employee counts for non-binary gender employees by job category and race/ethnicity in the comments box on the Certification Page in the EEO-1 Component 1 Online Filing System. The EEOC also answered many frequently asked questions about reporting information on its website.

Please contact Austin Laurienzo or any member of Phelps’ Labor and Employment team if you have questions or need compliance advice and guidance.