At the Department of Commerce, we recognize that America’s diversity has always been our greatest strength. We are committed to creating an economy that works for all Americans and a workplace that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible to every employee.

Since day one, in partnership with the Biden-Harris Administration, Secretary Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Graves have made equity a core part of the work of Commerce. Our pursuit of equity can be broken down into four pillars: building an equitable economy, fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace, measuring progress, and institutionalizing equity. Learn more about the Administration’s Equity agenda.

Equity Action Plan

Equity Action Plans are released annually by major Federal agencies, including all Cabinet and most Chief Financial Officer Act Agencies. Collectively, these Equity Action Plans lay out hundreds of concrete commitments to address the inequities that hold far too many communities back from prosperity, dignity, and equality.

At the Department of Commerce, we have identified five areas of focus for our 2023 Equity Action Plan.

1. Mobilize our nation’s diversity to fuel innovation and sustain our global competitiveness across geographic regions so that all communities have equal access to opportunities.
2. Expand growth opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs, including in underserved communities.
3. Promote equitable economic development and career pathways to good jobs.
4. Use targeted investments and program design to address the climate crisis through mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts to ensure environmental and economic resilience.
5. Expand opportunity and discovery through data capture to inform and evaluate actions that improve community outcomes.

⇒ 2023 Equity Action Plan

⇒ 2023 Equity Action Plan Summary

⇒ Revisit the 2022 Equity Action Plan

Fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed how and where work is performed. At the same time, competition to attract and retain top talent has become fierce. Now is the time to cultivate a more flexible work environment that demonstrates empathy, inclusiveness, and responsiveness. The Department must continue to foster a diverse workforce that reflects the Nation’s diversity and relates to the needs of different communities.

The Department’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Strategic Plan directs specific actions to foster a more innovative and productive work environment, including:

• The creation and expansion of existing professional development programs to help create a talent pipeline to help build leadership experience for individuals who are members of underserved communities.
• Examining the reasons employees, including those from underserved communities, either stay or leave the agency and taking concrete steps to address or enhance those factors. 
• Strengthening its anti-harassment program and ensuring it is fully resourced.

To learn more about these efforts, read our DEIA Strategic Plan.

Measuring progress

By rigorously collecting quantitative and qualitative metrics on our internal culture, the composition of our workforce, the impact of funding in underserved communities, customer experience, and more, we ensure we are making meaningful progress on our equity goals.

Institutionalizing equity

We are building the infrastructure to institutionalize our commitment to equity for years to come. This includes key hires at the senior level, such as our Chief Diversity Officer and standing up our Equity (DEIA) Council, chaired by Deputy Secretary Graves. The Department is committed to devoting the necessary resources, creating new systems, and embedding an equity lens into all we do.  

Comments? Questions? Send us an email at [email protected]

Learn more about our Equity (DEIA) Council