Thursday, August 26, 2010

New Data on Disabled in the Labor Force

Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a detailed overview on the employment of Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics, 2009. This is the first time the BLS has conducted extensive research on disabled persons in the US workforce. The information was gathered from a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provided statistics on employment and unemployment in the United States. Below are some highlights of the study:

• For all age groups, the employment-population ratio was much lower for persons with a disability than for those with no disability

• The unemployment rate of persons with a disability was well above the rate of those with no disability

• Nearly one-third of workers with a disability were employed part time, compared with about one-fifth of those with no disability

Given these findings, US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis is determined to increase the number of persons with disabilities into the US workforce. Her mission statement is sure to increase what is expected from federal contractors regarding outreach and accommodations for the disabled, “We will use this information to help increase service capacity and accessibility to workforce development systems including one-stop-career centers and ensure that people with disabilities have access to employment support, transportation, housing, and other support services. We will make sure that people who want to work can work.”

In related news, the OFCCP has been shifting more focus to the effectiveness of Action Oriented Programs, which is why it is crucial for federal contractors to be as proactive and involved as possible with their outreach programs. Below is a list of resource sites employers can use to help incorporate persons with disabilities into their workforce.

• http://www.business-disability.com/services.aspx
• http://askjan.org/cgi-win/TypeQuery.exe?902
• http://www.earnworks.com
• http://jobaccess.org/
• http://www.gettinghired.com/Employers.aspx

Click here to read the full BLS report http://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.nr0.htm

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

New BCG Book: Compensation Analysis: A Practitioner’s Guide to Identifying and Addressing Compensation Disparities

August 2010 Press Release

Biddle Consulting Group has released a new book on compensation analysis written by the team that brought you "Adverse Impact and Test Validation, 2nd Ed., as a practical guide for HR professionals."

Federal enforcement of compensation equity laws and regulations is on the
rise. Biddle Consulting Group’s Compensation Analysis: A Practitioner’s Guide
to Identifying and Addressing Compensation Disparities was written for all
levels of HR Generalists, Compensation Analysts, Attorneys, and Consultants.
Focus is on providing the reader with practical, understandable guidance on
how to identify and address areas of potential legal exposure. If you want just
one resource on compensation disparities . . . this is the one!

To order your copy, contact Nancy Tipton at 1-916-294-4250 x175 or email at ntipton@biddle.com

OFCCP celebrating 45th Anniversary of the Executive Order 11246

Posted by OFCCP on August 25th, 2010

Join the U. S. Department of Labor - OFCCP in celebrating its 45th Anniversary of the Executive Order 11246 on September 24, 2010, Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., in San Francisco (90 7th Street, Room B-040). RSVP by September 21, 2010, via email nelson.sarah@dol.gov or call Sarah Nelson at (415) 625-7822.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

OFCCP Director Keynote Address Posted on OFCCP Homepage

OFCCP has posted the Keynote speech that Patricia Shiu gave at the 2010 National ILG. Ms. Shiu set the tone for upcoming OFCCP activities related to audits, compensation, updating the regulations and more in 2010/2011. See the entire text here:

Director Shiu Delivers Keynote Address at NILG Conference

http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/Director_address_to_NILG_Aug042010.htm

Thursday, August 12, 2010

National Indusry Liaison Group (NILG) Conference Summary and Discussion

Join BCG Institute for Workforce Development for a panel discussion regarding the high points and important issues discussed at the 2010 National Industry Liaison Group (NILG) meeting in Las Vegas. Learn about possible changes to the OFCCP's Compensation Analysis Guidelines, EEO compliance standards and guidelines, and upcoming issues of importance to the EEO and federal contractor community.


Wed, Aug 18, 2010 1PM-2PM Eastern/10:00AM - 11:00AM Pacific Time

Register here:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/531163811

Monday, August 9, 2010

NILG Notes - OFCCP Changing Direction Regarding Compensation Analysis Strategy

OFCCP Update August 9, 2010.

Dr. Javaid Kaiser gave a presentation on "How should the Contractor Prepare When Compensation Disparity is Found at the Desk Audit Stage?" at the National ILG conference in Las Vegas last week and while BCG Institiute will be giving a more formal presentation on all the NILG news shortly, we wanted to get a few notes posted right away.

1. The OFCCP intends to rescind the current compensation analysis guidelines and release new guidelines in the near future. The OFCCP is considering a new strategy as the current standards are not producing results.

2. The "Red-Flag/Trigger Test" is also no longer being used. This was clear and it makes sense for many reasons that BCG will review in our NILG wrap-up webinars being scheduled now.

3. The concept of Similarly Situated Employee Groups "SSEGs" is still alive and well. It was clearly noted that "Similar does NOT mean equal" and a job group may be a SSEG if skills, responsibilities and job complexity are similar.

4. Employers should be looking for all of the variables that affect pay, not just the 12 Factors that OFCCP requests.

5. A few factors that may trigger a request for detailed compensation data are: large differences in pay, an employee complaint, missing data, inacurrate data, bad coding of data, and data that is unecessarily splintered.

6. Pay differences are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This is creating a lot of anxiety in the industry and there are specific reasons why the trigger test is not effective for identifying significant differences in compensation. In the Friday morning session, BCGi's Dr. Patrick Nooren discussed why people should not be dependent on tools such as a Trigger Analyses to identify potential pay issues. Be sure to attend our NILG wrap up and our repeat of the BCGi presentation to learn why.