NYC MOERJ, City Agencies Oppose US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Proposed Rule To Eliminate Workforce Demographic Data Collection Under Civil Rights Act Of 1964

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — The NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice (MOERJ), along with multiple city agencies and seven other jurisdictions across the country, strongly oppose the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed rule to end longstanding workforce race and gender demographic data collection and reporting requirements for large employers.

For over sixty years, as part of its duties under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, EEOC implemented, used, and enforced regulations requiring demographic data collection and reporting from large employers to prevent and protect workers from discrimination. This workforce demographic data has been critical in revealing unlawful employment practices and eliminating race and gender disparities in hiring, advancement, and representation across industries and occupations.

Eliminating these standardized workforce demographic data collection and reporting requirements will make it harder for EEOC, state and local civil rights enforcement entities, policymakers, attorneys, employers, researchers, advocates, and individual workers to identify where employment inequities persist and develop effective solutions to address them. The EEOC has collected this information for decades to give effect to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the landmark federal anti-discrimination law, and has used it to inform enforcement priorities, investigations, and litigations of unlawful race and gender-based patterns and practices of employment discrimination.

“We cannot advance equity if we make it harder to see where inequities exist,” said Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner Afua Atta-Mensah of the Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice. “Data gives us the ability to identify disparities, understand who is being left behind, and develop policies that respond to real conditions. At a time when New Yorkers continue to face barriers to economic justice, we should be strengthening our ability to identify and address inequity — not eliminating the tools that help us see it.”

“Every worker deserves a fair shot at economic opportunity, and we need the facts to know whether that promise is being met,” said Executive Director Priya Nair of the NYC Commission on Gender Equity. “Workforce data helps us understand who has access to good jobs, who advances, and where barriers persist. That information is especially critical for women and people of color, who have historically faced greater barriers to economic opportunity and advancement.”

“EEOC’s proposed rule is misguided, unlawful, and threatens to further set back hard-fought civil rights protections and progress,” said Inaugural Director Taylor Brown of the NYC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs. “EEOC’s proposed rule is part of the Trump Administration’s systemic agenda, across the federal government, to rewrite history, ignore persistent inequities, and undermine the federal government’s legal responsibility and ability to enforce federal anti-discrimination law and protect people from unlawful employment discrimination.”

“Discrimination is harder to confront when it is harder to see,” said Commissioner Christine Clarke of the NYC Commission on Human Rights. “Workforce demographic data helps us identify disparities, hold employers accountable, and reveal broader patterns of inequality that disproportionately impact women and people of color. At a time when workers’ rights are under attack across the country, we should be strengthening the tools that help us tackle discrimination, not eliminating them.”

“Everyone should have more — not less— access to information about places of work so that we can make better choices about where we spend our working lives,” said Executive Director Jimmy Pan of the NYC Equal Employment Practices Commission. “The EEOC’s proposed rule would move in the opposite direction, taking data out of the hands of the public and removing people’s access to public info that might reveal problematic employment patterns. Detailed workforce data gives workers a decision-making tool to choose among different employers and helps workers push their own management for improvements — the EEOC should instead be helping Americans have access to even more data, not limiting it.”

“As the EEOC itself acknowledges, demographic data helps agencies focus their resources, identify potential discrimination, and refine investigations,” said DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei. “Demographic reporting helps the City of New York ensure its workers are treated fairly, and we strongly oppose its elimination.”

The proposed rule would eliminate annual reporting requirements covering workforce race and sex demographic data collection and reporting requirements for employers and other entities covered by Title VII. The EEOC estimates that the current data typically covers more than 50 million employees and 73,000 employers nationwide.

New York City remains committed to using demographic data to enforce its anti-discrimination laws, protect workers from disparate impact and other unlawful employment policies and practices, and advancing policies that resolve discrimination, expand economic opportunity, and advance equity. MOERJ and city agencies urge the EEOC to withdraw this proposed rule and maintain robust demographic data collection and reporting requirements to fulfill its mandates under Title VII and to preserve the tools necessary to identify and fix unlawful employment discrimination and disparities.

The full comment is available here.

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Launched in October 2023, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice (MOERJ) is dedicated to creating a fairer and more equitable city for New Yorkers. As the city’s first centralized equity office, MOERJ is dedicated to working across all city agencies to create the first NYC Citywide Racial Equity Plan, with the goal of implementing policies, practices, and programs that promote social justice. This newly established office encompasses multi-agency bodies such as NYC Her Future (NHF), the NYC Commission on Gender Equity (CGE), the NYC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs (MOLGBTQIA+), and the NYC Young Men’s Initiative (YMI), along with the collaborative initiatives of the NYC Pay Equity Cabinet (PEC) and the NYC Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity (TRIE). To learn more about how MOERJ is advancing racial justice and engaging with New York City’s diverse communities, visit nyc.gov/Equity or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Established in 2015 and codified in the City Charter in 2016, the NYC Commission on Gender Equity (CGE) works to address issues of inequity and discrimination facing girls, women, intersex, transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people throughout the five boroughs. Focusing across the areas of economic justice, health and reproductive justice, and safety, CGE uses policy, research, advocacy, and public engagement to advance gender equity for New York City government and the communities it serves. For more information, visit nyc.gov/GenderEquity or visit us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

The NYC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs was established by Mayor Zohran K. Mamdani in March 2026 under NYC Executive Order No. 14 of 2026. The NYC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs serves as New York City government’s centralized office for advancing LGBTQIA+ equity across city government. We work with city agencies and community partners to advance anti-discrimination protections and policies for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers, expand and ensure equitable access to city services and resources, strengthen inclusion, promote public education, and support policies and programs that improve the safety, health, and well-being of LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.

CCHR is the agency responsible for enforcing the NYC Human Rights Law, one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws in the nation. The Commission works to promote equality and combat discrimination in New York City through law enforcement, community relations, and public education. For more information, visit nyc.gov/humanrights.

New York City voters established the Equal Employment Practices Commission (EEPC) as an independent, non-mayoral agency empowered by the New York City Charter. The EEPC audits, evaluates, and monitors the effectiveness of the City of New York’s employment programs, practices, policies, and procedures to ensure that those employed by, or seeking employment with, City government have truly equal opportunity.

The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) makes city government work for all New Yorkers. Our commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides our work providing City agencies with the resources and support needed to succeed, including:

Learn more about DCAS by visiting nyc.gov/dcas and by following us on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and listening to the Inside Citywide podcast.