WASHINGTON--The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in fiscal year 2007 received the highest number of discrimination charge filings in five years, the agency reported last week.

The federal agency received 82,792 private-sector discrimination charge filings in fiscal 2007, compared with 75,768 in 2006. The 9.3% annual increase is the largest since 1993.

Of the seven major discrimination charge categories, all but one--gender-based charges--saw double-digit increases in the number of filings in 2007 vs. 2006, which the EEOC called a "rare occurrence."

The Washington-based EEOC attributed the jump in charge filings to a combination of greater awareness of the law, changing economic conditions, and increased diversity and demographic shifts in the labor force.

"Corporate America needs to do a better job of proactively preventing discrimination and addressing complaints promptly and effectively," EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp said in a statement.

Allegations of discrimination based on race, retaliation and gender remain the most frequently filed charges, according to the agency's fiscal 2007 statistics. The EEOC said multiple types of discrimination may be alleged in a single filing.

Race discrimination charges continue to top the list, with 30,510 charges filed in 2007, the EEOC said. The 12% increase over 2006 marks the highest level since 1994, the agency noted.

The number of retaliation charges surpassed gender-based charges for the first time in 2007, the EEOC said. The number of retaliation charges increased 18.2% in 2007--the biggest jump among the seven major charge categories--to a record 26,663, while gender-based discrimination charges grew 6.8% to 24,826.

Among the gender-based charges, pregnancy discrimination charges surged to a record 5,587, up 14% from 2006, the EEOC said.

At the same time, the number of sexual harassment filings increased for the first time since 2000, rising 4% to 12,510 charges filed in 2007. And of those sexual harassment charges, a record 16% were filed by men, up from 9% in the early 1990s, the EEOC said.

Behind retaliation claims, age discrimination allegations saw the second largest jump in filings, a 15.4% increase to 19,103, the EEOC said.

The remaining three major discrimination charges--disability, national origin and religion--all saw double-digit increases in the number of charges filed in fiscal 2007, the EEOC said (see chart, page 4).

The EEOC said it recovered approximately $345 million in total monetary relief for job bias victims in 2007, a 26% increase over 2006. Nearly $55 million was obtained through EEOC litigation and more than $290 million through administrative enforcement, including mediation.

The EEOC said it resolved 8,649 charges through its voluntary National Mediation Program in 2007, up 5% from 2006.

The EEOC's fiscal year 2007 enforcement and litigation statistics are available online at www.eeoc.gov.