FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 17, 2025
EEOC Publishes Annual Performance and General Counsel Reports for Fiscal Year 2024
Agency Recovers Record $700 Million for Workers, Files First Cases Enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced its report on the agency’s performance during fiscal year 2024, covering Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, and the Office of General Counsel (OGC) annual report for the same time period.
For the agency, FY 2024 was another year of higher demand for its services, requiring efficient management of limited resources; in the face of these challenges, the EEOC secured almost $700 million for over 21,000 victims of employment discrimination—the highest monetary recovery in its recent history and substantially more than the agency’s $455 million budget.
“The agency’s performance results once again demonstrate that when the President and Congress invest in the EEOC, we return that investment and more to the American people and make workplaces fairer and more inclusive for everyone,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “As we prepare to celebrate the 60th birthday of this historic agency, the EEOC remains a shining example of what this country can do when we come together on a bipartisan basis to advance civil rights.”
The EEOC received 88,531 new charges of discrimination in FY 2024, reflecting an increase of more than 9% over FY 2023. The agency effectively managed this growing demand, ending the fiscal year with 52,080 charges pending—only a slight increase from the 51,100 charges pending at the close of FY 2023.
Performance highlights in FY 2024 include:
- Securing nearly $700 million for victims of discrimination, a 5% increase over FY 2023 and the highest monetary recovery in recent history, including:
- Over $469.6 million for 13,516 workers in the private sector and state and local government workplaces through mediation, conciliation, and settlements during the administrative process;
- More than $190 million for 3,041 federal employees and applicants; and
- Over $40 million for 4,304 individuals as a direct result of litigation.
- Successfully managing the public’s increased demand for services, including:
- 88,531 new discrimination charges, an increase of 9.2% compared to FY 2023;
- 248,255 inquiries in field offices, a 6.2% increase from FY 2023;
- 553,000 calls to the agency contact center, an almost 6% increase from FY 2023; and
- 90,000 emails, an increase of almost 5% compared to FY 2023.
- Resolving 6,679 federal sector hearing requests, securing approximately $181.4 million in relief for federal applicants and employees through the EEOC’s hearings program, and resolving 3,162 federal sector appeals, securing more than $8.5 million in relief for federal workers as ordered in EEOC appellate decisions.
- Continuing to build on the agency’s successful mediation program, including:
- Successfully resolving more than 71% of private sector mediations, an increase of more than 14% compared to FY 2023, and obtaining $243.2 million in benefits for charging parties, a 20.8% increase over FY 2023; and
- Conducting 147 federal sector mediations resulting in almost $4.2 million for federal employees and applicants.
- Conducting 3,278 in-person and virtual no cost outreach and fee-based training events for 268,864 individuals nationwide to provide information about employment discrimination and their rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
In conjunction with the Annual Performance Report (APR), the agency also released its Office of General Counsel (OGC) Annual Report for FY 2024 describing the agency’s litigation achievements. In FY 2024, the EEOC filed 111 merits suits: 110 employment discrimination lawsuits and one lawsuit challenging the breach of a conciliation agreement.
The merits suits include 76 suits seeking relief for individuals, 22 non-systemic suits with multiple victims, and 13 systemic suits. The merits suits included 79 suits advancing Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) priorities, including the agency’s first five lawsuits filed under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The EEOC also filed 13 actions to enforce subpoenas issued during EEOC charge investigations and 18 suits for non-compliance with mandatory federal reporting requirements (EEO-1 Component 1 workforce demographic reports) in FY 2024.
“Congress granted the EEOC litigation authority over 50 years ago so that the agency could more effectively achieve its mission of preventing and remedying unlawful employment discrimination,” said EEOC General Counsel Karla Gilbride. “The lawsuits we filed this past fiscal year, and the briefs we filed through our amicus program, address a wide range of issues in today’s workplaces, from accommodations under the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to longstanding problems like sexual harassment of young people new to the workforce. While these lawsuits touch on various forms of discrimination, all reflect a common theme: making workplaces safer and fairer for everyone.”
Additional EEOC litigation highlights from FY 2024 include:
- Resolving 132 merits lawsuits, an increase of more than 33% over FY 2023, for a total monetary recovery of over $40 million for 4,304 individuals.
- Resolving 16 systemic cases, obtaining just over $23.9 million, a $12.2 million increase over FY 2023, for 4,074 victims of systemic discrimination, in addition to significant equitable relief.
- Obtaining a favorable result in 97% of all district court resolutions and achieving a remarkable 100% success rate in its systemic case resolutions.
- Filing 39 amicus briefs in federal appellate and district courts.
- Prevailing in a jury trial alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The APR reports on the EEOC’s progress in achieving the goals and objectives outlined in the agency’s strategic plan along with performance and program results achieved for the previous fiscal year. The OGC annual report provides details about the agency’s efforts to enforce federal anti-discrimination laws through its affirmative litigation, appellate, and amicus programs.
FY 2024 marked the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which established the EEOC. As the agency prepares to celebrate its own 60th anniversary in FY 2025, the EEOC continues to use all its tools, including education and outreach, technical assistance, and enforcement, to combat discrimination and protect workplace civil rights.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
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