What is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the US federal agency that enforces laws against job discrimination. Those laws cover hiring, firing, pay, promotion and other job decisions, and they apply to decisions made or influenced by AI tools just as they do to decisions made by people.
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The US agency that enforces federal laws against job discrimination. Those laws apply to hiring decisions made with AI tools as well.
The EEOC enforces laws that protect people from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability and genetic information. It also protects people from retaliation for complaining about discrimination.
According to the EEOC, most employers with at least 15 employees are covered, and the threshold is 20 employees for age discrimination. Most labor unions and employment agencies are covered too, which matters for staffing firms. The agency investigates charges, mediates, issues guidance and can bring lawsuits.
State and local laws often add protections and cover smaller employers. Rules and guidance change, so check current requirements; this is general information, not legal advice.
Why it matters to recruiters
Every step a recruiter controls, from job ad wording to screening questions, interview notes and AI ranking, can become evidence in a discrimination claim. Knowing what the EEOC enforces helps you write fair job ads, ask only job related questions, keep records and question AI tools that might screen out protected groups.
An example from a recruiting desk
Applicants for warehouse roles at one agency are ranked by an AI tool. The recruiter notices that older applicants rarely reach the top of the list. She raises it with her manager, who asks the vendor for adverse impact testing and pauses automatic rejections. The team reviews the criteria and removes a factor that was acting as a proxy for age.
Tips that help
Ask only job related questions and use the same structured questions for every candidate.
Remove requirements from job ads that are not truly needed for the role.
Ask AI vendors how they test for adverse impact across protected groups.
Keep interview notes factual and focused on job related evidence.
Mistakes to avoid
Assuming an AI tool's decisions are the vendor's legal problem, not yours.
Asking about age, family plans, religion or other protected traits in screening calls.
Which tools help?
A few of the HR compliance tools in our directory. Prices are the published starting price on the date we last checked.
Yes. The EEOC says most employment agencies are covered by the laws it enforces. Agencies cannot refer or screen candidates in a discriminatory way, even if a client asks them to.
Does EEOC law apply to AI hiring tools?
The federal anti discrimination laws apply to employment decisions whether a person or a tool makes them. Employers can be responsible for discriminatory outcomes from tools they use.
How many employees before EEOC laws apply?
The EEOC says most employers with 15 or more employees are covered, and 20 or more for age discrimination. State and local laws may cover smaller employers.
