EEOC Sets 5-Year Strategy: More Scrutiny, Broader Relief

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has adopted its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030, a blueprint that will guide agency enforcement and operations for the next half-decade. Sophisticated employers and their counsel should take note, as the plan signals a more focused, data-driven, and demanding enforcement posture. Key performance metrics include requiring non-monetary “targeted, equitable relief,” such as policy changes and training, in 97% of all resolutions and maintaining a 90% litigation success rate. This suggests the agency will be highly selective in the cases it brings to court but will push for comprehensive, structural remedies when it settles or litigates. The plan also prioritizes systemic cases involving ten or more individuals and commits to more robustly monitoring conciliation agreements. For employers, this means charges aligning with agency priorities will receive intense scrutiny, and any resolution will likely involve ongoing obligations. The EEOC’s focus on filling investigator and attorney roles and modernizing its intake process further indicates that counsel should prepare for a more efficient and assertive agency.