Everything Is Freezing, Except Charges At The EEOC

Many of us are currently buckling in for a frigid holiday weekend (except for the lucky folks down in the south and southwest). However, recent data issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) shows that charges of discrimination continue to remain white hot (despite the temperature). For the 2015 fiscal year, the EEOC clocked an uptick of total charges to 89,385 (up from 88,778 in 2014). While this aggregate number is still slightly lower than the record-breaking annual charge rates just a few years back, charge rates remain historically high from a decade ago. State-by-state charge rates are also available here for anyone interested. The most common discrimination claim nationally (other than retaliation) is race (34.7% of all charges) followed by disability (30.2%), sex (29.5%), and age (22.5%). (Note that charging parties commonly assert claims under multiple protected categories.)