Affirmative Action Plans for Employers
Affirmative Action Plans (AAPs) help employers meet federal affirmative action and equal opportunity compliance requirements for veterans and individuals with disabilities. AAPs also support strong recruitment and retention practices that protect your organization from legal risk and build a fair workplace.
What is Affirmative Action?
Affirmative action refers to policies and practices designed to ensure equal opportunity in employment for qualified people, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Affirmative action must not involve quotas or hiring based on race, sex, religion, or other demographic traits alone.
These requirements are enforced through federal contractor compliance regulations such as Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA).
Who Must Have an Affirmative Action Plan?
Federal contractors and subcontractors generally must develop and maintain a written Affirmative Action Plan if all the following apply:
- You have 50 or more employees and a federal contract or subcontract of $50,000 or more for individuals with disabilities.
- You have 50 or more employees and a federal contract or subcontract of $150,000 or more for protected veterans.
- Any contractor with a contract of $150,000 or more must submit the VETS-4212 report annually, even if you have fewer than 50 employees.
Our Affirmative Action Support Services
We help employers navigate every step of affirmative action compliance:
- Compliance analysis
- Workforce data collection, review, and cleaning
- Statistical analysis and written plan development
- Internal process and policy design for recruitment and hiring
- Audit preparation and federal response support
- Training for HR and managers on compliance best practices
FAQs
No. Affirmative action plans are required for federal contractors and subcontractors who meet specific contract and employee size thresholds. Other employers still must comply with federal anti-discrimination laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.