When it comes to a
successful company, the right mix of people is as important as the right mix of
skills. Different backgrounds bring vital perspectives that help with decision
making and innovation. In the government contracting world, affirmative action
requirements have helped ensure an innovative environment persists.
Until now, by both reason
and law, the government has not set a hiring quota for ethnic, racial and other
demographic groups. But that could change with the December 9, 2011 Labor
Department proposed rule seeking to establish a uniform national utilization
goal requiring government contractors to ensure at least 7 percent of their
workers are disabled employees.
As written, the proposal, which PSC
recently submitted comments on, is simply
unworkable. Imposing a uniform utilization goal in every region of the country
and across all job groups ignores the fact that each community and each job
group has its own unique demographics. Complying with the goal may be
impossible in some industry categories and in some job skills. Furthermore,
while the rule establishes a hiring “goal,” Congress, agencies and the public
often interpret those numbers as mandates.
In today's news: 
