As it does each year, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has updated the national percentage of veterans in the civilian labor force that most federal contractors use as their “protected veterans hiring benchmark” under OFCCP’s regulations implementing the nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements of Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA).
Effective March 31, 2020, the new national percentage was set at 5.7%, down slightly from last year’s benchmark of 5.9%. For those federal contractors with affirmative action plan (AAP) cycles that begin on or after March 31, 2020, they may adopt the revised 5.7% figure as their protected veterans hiring benchmark for their current annual cycle. The newly set benchmark, along with benchmarks from the previous six years, can be accessed on OFCCP’s website.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.