The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released a plan to asses the difficulties in accessing federal benefits and opportunities experienced by underserved communities.
The Equity Action Plan (EAP), announced by the DOL April 14, outlines the agency's contribution to President Joseph Biden's 2021 Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities. The executive order "promotes a whole-of-government equity agenda that addresses systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits offered by the federal government," the DOL states.
“The Biden-Harris administration’s coordinated effort to ensure marginalized, underserved and excluded communities have access to the benefits and services offered by federal programs has never been more important,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in the announcement.
“By making equity for historically underserved communities a priority," Walsh said, "the Department of Labor will provide workers with greater opportunities to share the benefits as our nation’s economy continues its historic rebound.”
The EAP promotes five areas considered "high-impact" for the advancement of equity, the DOL reports, including enforcing wage and hour laws; updating the federal-state unemployment-insurance system; increasing access to DOL information and programs for workers with limited English-language skills; expanding job-training services; and diversification of the federal workforce.
The plan also notes the DOL's progress in serving marginalizing communities in the past year, such as building partnerships with community organizations, increasing the impact of DOL grants in underserved areas and centering processes around those communities, the statement reports.
"The department’s current and future efforts around equity help ensure that all working people, job seekers and retirees have the economic security, opportunity and voice they need to thrive in our society," DOL states in the announcement.
