EEOC Releases 2018 Fiscal Year Discrimination Charge Data

2018 Discrimination Charge Data Released by EEOC

On Monday, April 10, 2019, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released its fiscal year (“FY”) 2018 report concerning discrimination charges. The report shows that the number of discrimination charges filed with the EEOC dropped, with one notable outlier: sexual harassment charges.

The report breaks down the data by type of claim and state. The EEOC received 76,418 charges involving workplace discrimination for FY 2018. Most of the discrimination charges filed involved retaliation – – retaliation charges made up about fifty-two percent of the charges filed. About 39,000 retaliation charges were filed in 2018, compared to the 41,000 filed in FY 2017. Out of the fifty states, the largest number of discrimination charges were filed in Texas – – 7,100 filings, or about ten percent of all the filings. Nearly sixty percent of filings in Texas involved retaliation. New York filings made up less than five percent of the charges filed in FY 2018 (likewise in FY 2017). Within those charges, over forty-five percent involved retaliation. The percentage of retaliation charges in New York was about the same for FY 2017.

The number of sexual harassment charges filed with the EEOC increased dramatically from 2017 FY. For FY 2017, there were 6,696 sexual harassment charges filed nationwide with the EEOC. In FY 2018, there were 7,609 charges filed – – an increase of almost fourteen percent. In New York during FY 2017, sex discrimination made up about thirty-one percent of charges filed. For FY 2018, sex discrimination charges made up over thirty-seven percent of the charges filed.

The EEOC received about the same number of filings during FY 2018 as it did in FY 2017 within other significant areas of discriminations. For example, there were only about 1,500 fewer charges filed in FY 2018 than in FY 2017 in the areas of age and disability discrimination. With religious discrimination, roughly 600 less charges were filed in FY 2018 than there were filed in FY 2017. Discrimination charges filed in New York within those areas of discrimination followed that same pattern.

The report can be viewed in its entirety here: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/4-10-19.cfm

If you believe that you have experienced discrimination in your workplace, please contact Borrelli & Associates, P.L.L.C. today for a consultation.