EEOC votes to end 60-year employer demographic reporting

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, to advance a proposal that would end a 60-year-old requirement for large employers to submit annual demographic data on their workforces. The Republican-majority commission voted 2-1 along party lines to rescind the mandate, which has been a cornerstone of federal civil rights enforcement since 1966.

The rule currently requires companies with at least 100 employees, and federal contractors with 50 or more, to file an EEO1 form each year. The form reports the number of male and female workers across 10 job categories, as well as the number of workers of different races and ethnicities. The data covers roughly 73,000 employers and more than 50 million employees nationwide.

EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, an appointee of President Donald Trump, argued the requirement imposes a substantial burden on businesses, estimating it costs employers nearly $275 million annually. She also contended that collecting such data is inconsistent with federal civil rights law, which requires employment practices to be colorblind. Lucas stated that the requirement may promote racial stereotyping and could encourage employers to...