Executive Order
#14278 & 14281 — Skilled-Trade Jobs (April 23, 2025) (Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future ), and 14281 Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy (April 23, 2025)
Highlights
EO 14278: Orders Labor, Education & Commerce to overhaul federal training and apprenticeship programs and to issue guidance helping employers open jobs to non-degree applicants. EO emphasizes the importance of skilled trades and seeks to elevate their status as viable and lucrative career paths;
EO 14281: Ends disparate-impact liability at the federal level. Directs every agency to stop using disparate-impact analysis under statutes such. Section 7(b) also, encourages employers to adopt more inclusive hiring practices by considering non-degree holders for positions where a college education is not essential, thereby promoting equal access to employment opportunities based on merit and skills.
Key Compliance/Risk Cue
The issuance of Executive Orders 14278 and 14281 signifies a federal shift towards promoting employment opportunities based on skills and merit, irrespective of formal educational attainment. Per EO 14278, employers are encouraged to adapt their hiring and compliance practices to align with these new directives, Per EO 14281, federal employers are prohibited from engaging in disparate-impact analysis, and state/private sector employers are encouraged to do the same. Employers are to "promote equal access to employment regardless of whether an applicant has a college education, where appropriate."
Litigation Snapshot
None.