At the beginning of April 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”) released their annual report on the agency’s performance. The report shed light on record-breaking reports filed in fiscal year 2025, as well as some of the highest monetary recoveries.

The EEOC is the only federal agency that investigates and litigates against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. The EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Equal Pay Act of 1963 (included in the Fair Labor Standards Act), Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022, among others. For public sector employers, the EEOC also shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and coordinates the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort.

Inquires and Charges

In fiscal year 2025, the EEOC reported responded to nearly 270,000 inquiries, up almost 9% from fiscal year 2024; processed 88,201 new discrimination charges, which remained relatively even with fiscal year 2024; and resolved 90,743 charges of discrimination, a 4% increase over fiscal year 2024.

The EEOC noted that in response to the increasing volume of charge inquiries and formal charges, it is focusing on initiatives to make progress on “removing barriers to submitting inquiries, filing charges, and processing charges, and achieving consistency, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability in the agency’s enforcement related work.” While not much information is provided in the report, the EEOC continues to expand its use of technology in communication with the public.

Litigation and Monetary Recovery

The EEOC reported securing $660 million for 17,680 victims of employment discrimination, marking its third-highest total monetary recovery in recent history.

As part of the $660 million, the EEOC recovered the majority of that – $528 million – through its pre-litigation process (which includes mediation, conciliation, and pre-cause determination settlements). This was the highest recovery in the pre-litigation process in the EEOC’s history; 12% higher than fiscal year 2024.

Of the $528 million record-breaking recovery in the pre-litigation enforcement process, the EEOC:

• delivered $52.5 million for workers through the conciliation process, a 24% increase over fiscal year 2024.
• recovered $55 million for workers as a result of systemic investigations, a 20% increase in the number of resolutions and an approximate 115% increase in monetary benefits compared to fiscal year 2024.

Of the lawsuits filed by the EEOC, these encompassed a variety of categories, including sex and/or pregnancy (42); disability (35); retaliation (31); religion (10); age (8); race (2); and national origin (2). The employment-related actions raised most frequently in these lawsuits were discharge and/or constructive discharge (64); reasonable accommodation (40); harassment (29); terms and conditions of employment (18); and hiring (16).

What are Key Takeaways for Employers?

Employers should take note of the EEOC’s annual report for fiscal year 2025 that the EEOC will continue to be active in its enforcement and initiatives.

The rise in inquiries, charges, and some of its highest monetary recovery demonstrate that proactive compliance and risk management is essential for employers. Employers should focus on trainings for managers and supervisors on anti-discrimination policies, the importance of documenting all employment actions, and making sure their policies and procedures are up to date in all areas of employment and labor law at the local, state, and federal level.

Keeping up with employment laws may be difficult or complex to sort through and apply to your employees. If you have questions about compliance or your company policies, please contact our Labor & Employment attorneys at (651) 439-2878.