Is it necessary to track gender + ethnicity in the hiring process?

All US companies with 100+ employees, federal contractors and sub-contractors are required to file the Employer Information Report EEO-1 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

Record-keeping of diversity demographics in all phases of the hiring process is now a mandatory component of best practices for human resources organizations.

Get more information on EEOC filing requirements here.

Is it legal to collect diversity data?

It is entirely legal, and in fact mandatory to collect race and gender data on employee candidates, particularly as this information is used to support diversity hiring and affirmative action programs.

It will not be possible to comply with the requirements of the EEOC without collecting, tracking and recording diversity and gender data on the candidates and processes employed throughout the hiring phases.

OFCCP
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

The OFCCP is part of the U.S. Department of Labor, a cabinet-level department of the Federal government ensuring that companies doing business with the government conform to laws and regulations requiring nondiscrimination. The OFCCP also requires Affirmative Action programs in many situations as required by contract parameters and industries. Generally OFCCP requirements are additional and more demanding than EEOC compliance and generally require identification and audit of gender and diversity through all phases of a contract's life span.

Find more information on OFCCP here.

Microquest and Diversity Hiring Strategy

Each company must develop its own strategies, measurement parameters and technologies to ensure and validate its compliance with stated goals and outcomes. Many factors make these definitions a moving target which changes based on industry, company size, geography and historical thresholds.

Microquest is proud to work with the most progressive companies in the world to develop strategies for hiring, talent mapping and pipelining to ensure the inclusion of significant numbers of highly qualified diverse candidates, relative to gender and ethnicity.