Department of Labor Program to Promote Diversity in Federal Jobs and Benefits

A diverse, well-compensated workforce is not only good for employees, it’s good for employers. Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) took action to assure diversity in federal jobs, programs, and benefits by publishing its Equity Action Plan.

The action plan promotes an agenda to address systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits offered by the federal government. It summarizes the DOL’s efforts to identify barriers to more equitable access to programs and services for underserved, marginalized and excluded communities and outlines the next steps for expanding access to those communities.

The plan focuses on the following high-impact areas:

• Enforcement of wage and hour laws
• Administration and improvement of the federal-state unemployment insurance system
• Broadening of access to department programs, services, and information for workers with limited English proficiency
• Expansion of sector-based training and employment strategies
• Diversification of the federal workforce by building new pathways into government apprenticeships.

The plan also highlights the progress the department has made in:

• Broadening the equity impact of department grants
• Centering vulnerable and underserved communities in the rulemaking process
• Building stronger partnerships with community-based organizations
• Improving equity data collection and analysis.