Dive Brief:
- Bloomberg BNA has released its 2016 outlook on labor and employment law, and the report expects that with President Obama's term winding down, there will be a rush of activity among the federal agencies that regulate labor and employment issues, most notably the Labor Department and the EEOC.
- In the 60-page Bloomberg BNA report, dozens of senior government officials, including Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez and EEOC Chair Jenny Yang, along with industry observers and insiders, weigh in on the key issues in Congress, the courts and federal agencies.
- By contrast to the expected activity from agencies, Karen Ertel, news director of Labor, Employment, Benefits & Human Resources at Bloomberg BNA, said the company doesn't anticipate much happening from Congress as members will be too busy with election year politicking, leaving little room for bipartisanship.
Dive Insight:
For one thing, the Labor Department will be very busy working on its controversial final rule to dramatically increase workers' access to overtime pay. Labor Secretary Perez told Bloomberg BNA that the agency will bolster ongoing support of worker-friendly state and local laws and voluntary employer initiatives, including those that raise the minimum wage and provide paid leave and flexible scheduling.
The EEOC will also continue to seek solutions to persistent forms of discrimination while addressing new challenges emerging from the changing workplace. Two issues to watch are employers' use of online screening tools in hiring and the increased use of temporary workers, which is growing at seven times the rate of the permanent workforce – largely thanks to the shared economy.
