Affirmative action obligations and promoting diversity
- All employers can hire marginalized people to promote diversity.
Certain federal contractors and subcontractors are obligated to have an affirmative action plan and take certain actions to promote diversity in hiring. They may target their recruitment efforts at women or minorities. They may also need to give preference to:
- Veterans under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), or
- Individuals with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Taken together, these laws ban discrimination and require federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to ensure that all individuals have an equal opportunity for employment, without regard to:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- Sex
- National origin
- Disability
- Protected veteran status
Promoting diversity does not need to be limited to affirmative action employers. All employers can target marginalized people in their recruitment efforts to try to diversify their labor pool. The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures offer guidance on avoiding adverse employment actions that may affect marginalized people during the selection procedures.