Q&A
Trends in employment-related inquiries and possible reasons for the drop in FY 2024
0:26:09
·
153 sec
Council Member Williams inquires about trends in employment-related inquiries to CCHR over the past 5 years, noting a significant drop in FY 2024. Deputy Commissioner Carroll suggests that the drop likely represents underreporting rather than an actual decrease in discrimination incidents.
- Employment-related inquiries dropped from 12-20% to 9% of total complaints in FY 2024
- Underreporting may be due to other life circumstances taking priority for potential complainants
- CCHR does not believe the drop indicates increased compliance with anti-discrimination laws
Nantasha M. Williams
0:26:09
Thank you.
0:26:16
Okay.
0:26:18
Let's begin by looking at a few trends in the reported statistics across the last 5 years.
0:26:25
According to CCHR's annual reporting since 2020, employment related inquiries are consistently a leading source of inquiries.
0:26:35
Employment related inquiries comprise between 12 20 percent of all inquiries received by the Commission from f y 2020 to f y 2023, peaking in f y 2022.
0:26:48
However, in FY 2024, CCHR reported that the number of workplace related inquiries dropped to only 9% of the total complaints received by CCHR.
0:26:59
That is roughly a 40% drop compared to the 5 year average and also compared to pre pandemic rates, all of which hovered around 15% of total inquiries.
0:27:11
This was true not only in relative terms, but also in absolute numbers.
0:27:16
Employment related complaints in f y 2024 were 30% lower than the preceding 4 year average and the pre pandemic average.
0:27:23
That's a lot of numbers.
0:27:24
Hope hope you were following that.
0:27:27
Is CCHR aware of what might have caused such significant drop in workplace related inquiries in f y 24?
0:27:35
And in CCHR's view, is the drop in inquiries likely to represent an actual decrease in discrimination incidents in the workplace, or is there a possibility that this reflects underreporting or another underlying change?
Katherine Carroll
0:27:56
Thank you, Chair Williams.
0:27:58
And thank you for having me as my first time in this role as deputy commissioner before the hearing.
0:28:02
I'm very excited to be here to talk about our work.
0:28:05
I think that you're exactly right in talking about underreporting.
0:28:09
It's not our position that as the statute has been broadened that people are complying with it more and more likely than not that, it's underreported due to other circumstances that are going on in, a person's life.
0:28:22
I think, circumstances that are going on in, a person's life.
0:28:26
I think, typically, we recognize that it's not someone's priority always to report discrimination when they have other issues such as being unhoused or having housing instability or worrying about having a job that they report discrimination after all of that.
