53% of EEOC Complaints in FY 2019 Were Retaliation-based

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released detailed breakdowns for the 72,675 charges of workplace discrimination the agency received in fiscal year 2019.

The comprehensive enforcement and litigation statistics for FY 2019, which ended Sept. 30, 2019, are posted on the agency’s website, which also includes detailed breakdown of charges by state.

The FY 2019 data show that retaliation continued to be the most frequently filed charge filed with the agency, followed by disability, race and sex. The agency also received 7,514 sexual harassment charges – 10.3 percent of all charges, and an  1.2 percent decrease from FY 2018.  Specifically, the charge numbers show the following breakdowns by bases alleged, in descending order:

• Retaliation: 39,110 (53.8 percent of all charges filed)
• Disability: 24,238 (33.4 percent)
• Race: 23,976 (33.0 percent)
• Sex: 23,532 (32.4 percent)
• Age: 15,573 (21.4 percent)
• National Origin: 7,009 (9.6 percent)
• Color: 3,415 (4.7 percent)
• Religion: 2,725 (3.7 percent)
• Equal Pay Act: 1,117 (1.5 percent)
• Genetic Information: 209 (0.3 percent)

These percentages add up to more than 100% because some charges allege multiple bases.

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