Can Technology Such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advance Equitable Recruiting and Hiring?

In September 2022, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) hosted a virtual roundtable to discuss the civil rights implications of the use of automated technology systems – including artificial intelligence (AI) – in the recruitment and hiring of workers. Both the EEOC and OFCCP reiterated the commitment of the agencies to address barriers to hiring and recruiting diverse talent.

The virtual roundtable titled “Decoded: Can Technology Advance Equitable Recruiting and Hiring?” was hosted by EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows and OFCCP Director Jenny R. Yang. The virtual roundtable was part of the EEOC’s and OFCCP’s joint Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity (HIRE) and the EEOC’s AI and Algorithmic Fairness initiative. A recording of the EEOC and OFCCP virtual roundtable that took place on September 13, 2022, is available for viewing on YouTube.

“Participants identified numerous ways that employers use automated technologies to source and screen job applicants, such as machine learning algorithms that review resumes and video interviewing technology. They also explained how discrimination may occur based on protected characteristics, including race, sex, disability, and age when employers use hiring technologies,” according to a press release from the EEOC about the virtual roundtable event.

“Potential barriers to equal employment opportunity include issues accessing technology due to the digital divide, job advertisements targeting specific groups, and programs analyzing incomplete datasets that under- or over-represent historically marginalized groups. During the robust conversation participants identified how automated technologies can promote equal employment opportunity such as helping employers better understand applicant pools.”

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Thomas Ahearn - Digital Content Editor

Thomas Ahearn is a Digital Content Editor at ClearStar, a leading Human Resources (HR) technology company specializing in background, drug, and occupational health screening. He writes about a variety of topics in the background screening industry including "Ban the Box," class action lawsuits, credit reports, criminal records, drug testing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), HR technology, identity theft and fraud, privacy, social media background checks, and workplace violence.

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