Looser Examination of Pay Bias in Store for Federal Contractors (1)

A new pay directive covering federal contractors loosens the standards under which they will be audited for potential discrimination, a Labor Department agency said Aug. 24.

The document released by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs takes a more business-friendly approach to the auditing process. The previous practice was to look only at statistical data when evaluating pay discrimination.

Under the directive, the federal watchdog will “be less likely to pursue a matter where the statistical data are not corroborated by non-statistical evidence,” it said.

“The compensation directive demonstrates OFCCP’s commitment to eliminating pay discrimination through providing clear guidelines ...