The Department of Labor has a new tool meant to help employers avoid discriminating against disabled individuals when they use artificial intelligence to assist them with recruiting and hiring.
The Labor Department announced the AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework on Tuesday.
The initiative is funded by the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. The framwork also is meant to help job-seekers navigate the potential benefits and challenges they may face when encountering AI-enabled technologies.
“The Office of Disability Employment Policy works with many employers eager to hire people with disabilities and benefit from their talents,” Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams stated. “These employers recognize that AI tools can improve recruitment and hiring but may also impact workplace culture and inclusion of disabled employees. The AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework published today charts a clear course for employers to navigate this transformation successfully.”
ODEP and the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) wrote the framework in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other external partners after gathering input in discussions with experts, listening sessions and a national online public dialogue.
The new resource focuses on 10 areas:
- Identifying legal requirements.
- Establishing staff roles.
- Inventorying technology.
- Working with vendors.
- Assessing impacts.
- Providing accommodations,
- Using explainable AI.
- Ensuring human oversight.
- Managing incidents.
- Monitoring regularly.
The focus areas stem from five overarching themes the writers identified early in the planning process:
- Procuring AI hiring technology.
- Advertising employment opportunities and recruiting inclusively.
- Providing reasonable accommodations to job-seekers.
- Selecting candidates, and making employment offers responsibly.
- Incorporating human assistance, and minimizing risk.
According to the Labor Department, the new resource aligns with the White House’s commitment to prevent AI-powered employment tools from hindering workers’ employment prospects.
The Labor Department also recommends additional resources to help employers use AI-powered recruitment tools.
