EEOC Targets Construction Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The construction industry is critical to our nation’s economy. It is also one of the country’s largest industries, employing nearly 11.8 million people in 2022. But for more than a decade, construction has struggled to recruit and retain enough workers to meet the sector’s growing demand.

The Associated Builders and Contractors reports that by 2024 the construction industry will need to bring in more than 342,000 new workers to meet current industry demand, and that’s presuming construction spending growth slows significantly next year.

But according to a new report by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) titled, “Building For The Future: Advancing Equal Employment Opportunity in the Construction Industry,” federal infrastructure investments into the construction space may provide a new opportunity to hire and diversify the construction sector’s workforce.The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 provide an opportunity to build a more inclusive construction industry and ensure that it is equally open to all qualified workers, the EEOC says.

“Many construction companies and industry groups are making good faith efforts to comply with civil rights laws and are undertaking proactive steps to reduce the barriers that have historically limited access to good construction jobs,” the report says. “Nevertheless, discrimination remains a substantial barrier to entry, retention, and advancement of women and people of color in construction.”

The report provides findings and next steps based on the agency’s enforcement experience, witness testimony presented at the EEOC’s May 2022 hearing on discrimination and harassment in construction and other Commission hearings and academic research.

The report’s key findings say:

• Women and people of color are under-represented in the construction industry and especially in the higher-paid, higher-skilled trades.
• Discrimination based on sex, race and national origin persists and contributes to the underrepresentation of women and workers of color in construction.
• Harassment is pervasive on many worksites and poses a significant barrier to the recruitment and retention of women and workers of color in the industry.
• Racial harassment in construction often takes virulent forms and nooses appear with chilling frequency on jobsites across the country.
• Harassment in construction is a workplace safety issue as well as a civil rights issue.
• Construction workers who experience discrimination often do not know to whom or how to report violations
• Retaliation is a serious problem in the construction industry and hinders efforts to prevent and remedy unlawful discrimination and harassment.

The EEOC’s report on advancing equal employment opportunity in construction is available at: https://www.eeoc.gov/.