In one of President Biden’s first executive orders, the White House seeks to increase equitable workforce practices in the federal government and nonprofits. One of the more interesting sections of this order notes that federal employers have collected insufficient data regarding underserved populations in the past, and creates an interagency group which seeks to remedy this issue. This group, named the Data Working Group, will have responsibilities which include working with agencies to improve data collection across the government as well as recommend strategies to ensure that said collections work to “measure equity and capture the diversity of the American people.” 

The importance of data in DEI efforts was explicitly recognized by the Executive Office, and this order begs the question of what role data will play in the future of labor equity. Other than simple demographic information, it’s possible that more complex data sets could lead to an overall better understanding of how the workforce perpetuates problems that harm underserved communities. The idea that Biden’s statement seems to suggest is that a better understanding of the data will lead to better practices and therefore a more equitable workforce in general. However, the question remains of which data sets will prove most useful.

The official statement remarks that “(m)any Federal datasets are not disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability, income, veteran status, or other key demographic variables.” This statement seems to allude to the idea that among the first steps in this order will be to work out a system of breaking down all data into these groups. This statement also explicitly defines which groups will be considered important for equity initiatives. As difficult as it may seem to break data down by new groups, it is remarkable to note how simple this could be if data is collected properly. For example, any surveys taken without anonymity could easily be broken down by any of these factors if the demographic data already exists for all employees surveyed. 

Ultimately, this executive order notes a significant shift in the federal government’s attack toward improving equity in the federal government. Previous moves in this regard have generally attempted to penalize discrimination and encourage inclusive hiring and promotion practices. With this order, however, President Biden is acknowledging the utility of information and data tracking software as our world becomes increasingly reliant on technology to run efficiently. Whether this specific order affects you or not, it’s a fair bet that demographic data will become useful for whatever industry you work in. In other words, it would be wise to begin gathering data and analyzing it with social service software if you are not already. This practice will not only lead to better insight into how your organization runs, but could also lead to possible grants or tax breaks as future legislation begins to prioritize data.

About the Author:

Christian graduated from Florida State University in 2020 with a degree in Editing, Writing, and Media.Whilein school, Christian focused on the changing media landscape, particularly in relation to culture, politics, music, and legal studies. Christian also volunteered as the director of production at FSU’s on-campus radio station, WVFSTallahassee, and graduated with honors following the completion of his undergraduate thesis. At Clear Impact, Christian writes about current topics that relate to the data needs of nonprofits and small governments.