SEC Struggles to Stem Staff Losses as Disclosure Workload Grows

The SEC is down dozens of officials to scrutinize and regulate companies’ climate disclosures and other corporate reporting, as they grapple with a years-old staff shortage and more work under Chair Gary Gensler.

A Bloomberg Law review of Securities and Exchange Commission documents shows the agency unit in charge of corporate reporting has lost nearly a fourth of its staff since 2017 and, with replacements, its workforce has still been unable to catch up in that timespan.

The staff deficit in the Division of Corporation Finance has led Gensler to ask Congress for reinforcements. But the division still must contend ...