On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030 (Plan). The Plan describes the EEOC’s enforcement and operational priorities for the next four years. These strategic goals include enforcement, outreach and training, and organizational excellence.
Strategic Goal I – Enforcement
The EEOC intends to intensify its focus on systemic discrimination cases and targeting discriminatory patterns. This includes certain DEI employment practices, religious accommodation issues, protection of workers from anti-American national origin discrimination, and enforcement of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The agency also plans to enhance monitoring of conciliation agreement compliance and improve intake services through technology. In doing so, the EEOC aims to reduce pending intake inventory by 2% per year and decrease processing times by 10% by FY 2030.
Strategic Goal II – Outreach and Training
The EEOC is looking to expand employer education by increasing outreach events for new agency partners with a focus on industries and areas previously underserved by EEOC programming. The agency also plans to update existing training materials using plain language and create new resources to help employers understand their obligations under anti-discrimination laws.
Strategic Goal III – Organizational Excellence
The Plan commits to maintaining staffing at 95% or above of the agency’s full-time employee baseline, investing in workforce development, and implementing at least two technology-driven operational improvements annually.
With a heightened emphasis on systemic enforcement, expanded outreach, and technology-enhanced intake, employers may wish to consider providing anti-discrimination training, implementing robust complaint-handling procedures, and proactively reviewing company policies, including EEO, DEI, PWFA, and religious accommodation policies.
If you have questions or would like more information about how this information may affect you, contact Joshua B. Gessling or a member of our Labor and Employment practice team.
