Federal job
discrimination complaints rose to an all-time high last year, led by an increase
in bias charges based on religion and national origin.
The Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission received nearly 100,000 charges of
discrimination during the 2011 fiscal year, the most in its 46-year history.
That's a slight increase over the previous year, which had 25 fewer
complaints.
Charges of
religious discrimination jumped by 9.5 percent, the largest increase of any
category. Claims of bias based on ancestry or country of origin rose 5
percent.
Experts say the
increase reflects the growing diversity of the nation's work
force.
"We're seeing a
greater diversity among minority groups in America," said Ron Cooper, a former
general counsel of the EEOC who now works in private practice. "We're seeing
more workers from India, Pakistan and other countries that bring additional
religious complexity to the work force."
The commission
does not specify which religious or ethnic groups filed the most
charges.
As in past
years, claims based on race, sex and retaliation were the charges filed most
often, according to commission data.
Charges of
racial bias fell by 1 percent, while sexual discrimination claims fell 2 percent
and sexual harassment claims dropped 3 percent.
At the same time, claims of disability bias climbed 2 percent and charges of discrimination based on age rose 1 percent.
The
U.S. unemployment rate hovered around 9 percent in 2011. But many economists
believe that the true unemployment rate is around 20 percent. The
number of Americans living in poverty in 2010 stood at 49.1 million, according
to a 2011 report by the Census Bureau. Politico A Gallup poll
states that U.S. unemployment continues to be seen as the most important problem
in America. Gallup
ARA/ARA
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