Early Tuesday morning, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) resumed its ongoing series of agency Web chats with a brief session hosted by Patricia Shiu, the director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The OFCCP enforces the civil rights of both federal contractor employees as well as applicants for federal contractor jobs. According to the OFCCP, approximately 22 percent of the American workforce is employed by federal contractors.
Director Shiu discussed the OFCCP’s regulatory priorities for the coming year, noting that strengthening construction regulations — particularly in the area of affirmative action requirements — will be the key item on the agency’s spring agenda. The agency specifically plans to update and amend the regulations that detail affirmative action program requirements for federal construction contractors. The agency will specifically look at rules dealing with recruitment, training, and apprenticeships.
Further, the OFCCP plans to participate in the DOL’s overarching initiative to prevent misclassification of workers as independent contractors, so proposed rules setting forth specific requirements for federal construction contractors to properly classify workers are likely to surface. The agency will also continue its drive to hire new compliance officers to assist with enforcement and investigation efforts. To date, the agency has hired 113 of a planned 213 new compliance officers.
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