1). EEOC is responsible for  enforcement of federal antidiscrimination laws, and OFCCP enforces  affirmative action and nondiscrimination requirements for federal  contractors. U.S. Women and Certain Minority Groups Continued to be Less Represented in the Technology Workforce and Sector

			Comparison of Technology Workforce to General Workforce, by Gender and Race

From 2005 to 2015, the percentage of women in the technology  workforce remained flat and women remained a smaller proportion of the  technology workforce compared to their representation in the general  workforce. 2). 6.) Several Factors May Contribute to the Lower Representation of Women and Certain Minority Groups in the Technology Workforce

Several factors may contribute to the lower representation of female,  Hispanic, and Black workers in the technology workforce and at  companies in the technology sector, based on research and interviews  with researchers and representatives from workforce and industry  organizations and technology companies. An estimated 218,000 technology workers were added to the  technology workforce in 2015, according to our analysis of 2015  American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau. EEOC and OFCCP Have Taken Steps to Oversee Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Requirements, but Face Limitations

		EEOC and OFCCP Have Taken Steps to Oversee Compliance in the Technology Sector

According to EEOC officials, EEOC primarily oversees compliance with  equal employment opportunity requirements by investigating workers’  individual charges of employment discrimination filed against companies. In addition, EEOC’s fiscal year 2017- 2021 Strategic Enforcement Plan identified barriers to hiring and  recruiting in the technology sector as a strategic priority. While EEOC has plans to review a year of IMS data to clean it and  determine how best to add missing industry codes, among other  objectives, officials could not provide a specific timeframe for when this  review would begin and end. We found that OFCCP also faces challenges that may hinder the  agency’s oversight of technology companies. OFCCP has not reviewed key aspects of its current approach to  evaluations  OFCCP officials report the agency intends to incorporate additional  information on gender, racial, and ethnic disparities by industry into its  compliance evaluation selection process, but we found the methodology  to determine the disparities may have weaknesses. Female, Black, and Hispanic workers, however, comprised a  smaller proportion of technology workers compared to their  representation in the general workforce from 2005 through 2015, and  have also been less represented among technology workers inside the  technology sector than outside it. DOL stated that it appreciated, but neither agreed nor disagreed, with our  recommendation to take steps toward requiring contractors to  disaggregate demographic data for the purpose of setting placement  goals in the AAP rather than setting a single goal for all minorities. While we acknowledge these  data collection requirements for federal contractors, we remain concerned  that without requiring contractors to also establish placement goals to  address any underrepresentation for specific minority groups, contractors  may not develop objectives or targets to make affirmative action efforts  work. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the  Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs  (OFCCP) to oversee technology companies and technology contractors’  compliance with equal employment opportunity and affirmative action  requirements. For example, beginning in 2007, EEOC changed its  requirements related to the reporting of data on managers and changed  its practices for collecting certain racial/ethnicity information.
Why GAO Did This Study

Technology companies are a major source of high-paying U.S. jobs, but some have questioned the sector's commitment to equal employment opportunity. EEOC provides federal oversight of nondiscrimination requirements by investigating charges of discrimination, and OFCCP enforces federal contractors' compliance with affirmative action requirements. GAO was asked to review workforce trends in the technology sector and federal oversight.
This report examines (1) trends in the gender, racial, and ethnic composition of the technology sector workforce; and (2) EEOC and OFCCP oversight of technology companies' compliance with equal employment and affirmative action requirements. GAO analyzed workforce data from the American Community Survey for 2005-2015 and EEOC Employer Information Reports for 2007-2015, the latest data available during our analysis. GAO analyzed OFCCP data on compliance evaluations for fiscal years 2011-2016. GAO interviewed agency officials, researchers, and workforce, industry, and company representatives.

What GAO Found

The estimated percentage of minority technology workers increased from 2005 to 2015, but GAO found that no growth occurred for female and Black workers, whereas Asian and Hispanic workers made statistically significant increases (see figure). Further, female, Black, and Hispanic workers remain a smaller proportion of the technology workforce—mathematics, computing, and engineering occupations—compared to their representation in the general workforce. These groups have also been less represented among technology workers inside the technology sector than outside it. In contrast, Asian workers were more represented in these occupations than in the general workforce. Stakeholders and researchers GAO interviewed identified several factors that may have contributed to the lower representation of certain groups, such as fewer women and minorities graduating with technical degrees and company hiring and retention practices.
Both the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) have taken steps to enforce equal employment and affirmative action requirements in the technology sector, but face limitations. While EEOC has identified barriers to recruitment and hiring in the technology sector as a strategic priority, when EEOC conducts investigations, it does not systematically record the type of industry, therefore limiting sector-related analyses to help focus its efforts. EEOC has plans to determine how to add missing industry codes but has not set a timeframe to do this. In addition, OFCCP's regulations may hinder its ability to enforce contractors' compliance because OFCCP directs contractors to set placement goals for all minorities as a group rather than for specific racial/ethnic groups. OFCCP also has not made changes to its establishment-based approach to selecting entities for review in decades, even though changes have occurred in how workplaces are structured. Without taking steps to address these issues, OFCCP may miss opportunities to hold contractors responsible for complying with affirmative action and nondiscrimination requirements.

What GAO Recommends

GAO makes 6 recommendations, including that EEOC develop a timeline to improve industry data collection and OFCCP take steps toward requiring more specific minority placement goals by contractors and assess key aspects of its selection approach. EEOC neither agreed nor disagreed with its recommendation, and OFCCP stated the need for regulatory change to alter placement goal requirements. GAO continues to believe actions are needed, as discussed in the report.