Job Discrimation Hits Record High: Is the Economy to Blame?

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Job Discrimination Hits Record High: Is the Economy to Blame?

By Daryl C. Hannah

More people experienced workplace discrimination last year than ever before, new data from the EEOC released Tuesday reveals. And while all major categories across the private sector increased, age and retaliation claims jumped the most.

According to the new EEOC data, 95,402 job-bias claims were filed last year, up 15 percent from the previous year. Charges of age discrimination jumped by 28.7 percent, with 24,582 claims. Retaliation was the second most-frequent complaint, up 22.6 percent from the previous year.

"The EEOC has not seen an increase of this magnitude in charges filed for many years," said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. "While we do not know if this signifies a trend, it is clear that employment discrimination remains a persistent problem."

"The economy is in meltdown mode, and from the point of view of the company, if you lay off an older worker, the cost savings are greater than if you lay off a younger worker," said Eileen Appelbaum, visiting scholar at the Center for the Economic Policy and Research.

While the agency says there a number of factors contributing to the surge, a major driver is the current economic condition in the United States and greater awareness of EEOC policy.

While in 2008, age discrimination and retaliation topped the list for most charges filed, the previous year, the EEOC saw a 40 percent jump in pregnancy-discrimination suits. Click here to read that report from DiversityInc.

In 2008, the EEOC filed 290 lawsuits and resolved 81,081 private-sector charges. Allegations of race discrimination remain the most frequently filed, accounting for 33,937, representing 36 percent of all filings last year. This is up 11 percent from 2007.