Limiting the Applicant Data That Is Provided to OFCCP (Part 2)

This article originally appeared in the February 2013 edition of the LocalJobNetwork "OFCCP Digest." It is the second of a two-part series.

Part 2 - Understanding Special Situations

In the first part of this two-part series, we discussed the fact that the applicant data that is provided to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is a critical piece of information in any affirmative action compliance review. We found that OFCCP’s Internet Applicant rule provides a variety of ways to limit the applicant data that is submitted to OFCCP. We also identified a key idea in regard to the way that OFCCP examines applicant data:

OFCCP is interested in comparing data on the persons who could be hired for a company’s positions to the persons who actually were hired.

In this article, we’re going to examine a number of important situations that affect the applicant data that should be submitted to OFCCP. Before we continue, though, here’s a short review of how the Internet Applicant rule works. The Internet Applicant rule provides a four-prong test to determine which job seekers should be counted as applicants and should thus appear in statistical reports provided to OFCCP. These four prongs are:

1. The individual submits an expression of interest in employment through the Internet or related electronic data technologies;
2. The contractor considers the individual for employment in a particular position;
3. The individual’s expression of interest indicates the individual possesses the basic qualifications for the position; and,
4. The individual at no point in the contractor’s selection process prior to receiving an offer of employment from the contractor, removes himself or herself from further consideration or otherwise indicates that he or she is no longer interested in the position.

The Difference Between Recruitment and Selection

In part 1 of this series, we noted that OFCCP is currently very interested in the outreach efforts that companies are making to find qualified minorities, females, veterans, and persons with disabilities. While OFCCP showed little interest in recruitment for a significant number of years, OFCCP now examines recruitment efforts very closely during compliance reviews, especially as they pertain to veterans and persons with disabilities.

Limiting the Applicant Data That Is Provided to OFCCP

This article originally appeared in the January 2013 edition of the LocalJobNetwork "OFCCP Digest."  It is the first of a two part series.

Part 1 - The Rule Regarding Applicant Data

Most of the recent discussion about affirmative action compliance reviews by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) tends to focus on two areas: (1) OFCCP’s investigation of possible compensation discrimination by federal contractors and subcontractors, and (2) issues concerning veterans and persons with disabilities, especially in regard to outreach to find members of these two groups.  There is no question that these two areas have been priorities for OFCCP.  Yet, the majority of the back pay settlements growing out of affirmative action compliance reviews still involve hiring disparities, especially in entry-level positions.  A quick look at OFCCP’s website (http://www.dol.gov/ofccp) as of mid-January in 2013 substantiates this.  Three recent press releases reported on OFCCP’s website show that companies paid between $300,000 and $439,000 to groups of minorities or females applying for entry-level jobs, and there are no recent press releases concerning compensation settlements or problems involving veterans and persons with disabilities.