P&G, Honeywell, and other companies have settled with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over allegations they posted job advertisements excluding non-US citizens.
On May 23, the DOJ announced the ten employers collectively paid over $460,000 to settle the claims.
The case originated from a discrimination complaint filed by a student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who alleged an internship advertised on the school’s recruiting platform was limited to US citizens.
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The student, a permanent resident with employment eligibility, raised the issue.
The DOJ investigated and discovered multiple discriminatory ads on Georgia Tech’s platform.
Each of the ten settling employers had posted at least one job announcement excluding non-US citizens.
These advertisements discouraged qualified students from applying based on their citizenship status and, in many cases, prevented them from meeting with company recruiters.
Within the past year, 30 employers have settled similar claims with the DOJ, resulting in collective civil penalties of $1.6 million.
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In its announcement, the DOJ said: “The advertisements deterred qualified students from applying for jobs because of their citizenship status, and in many cases the citizenship status restrictions also blocked students from applying or even meeting with company recruiters.”
The agency emphasized its ongoing commitment to enforcing federal civil rights laws in this area.
Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said the settlements “should make clear our commitment to enforcing federal civil rights laws to ensure that all applicants have a fair and equal chance to compete for jobs.”
No response to the news has been received from P&G or Honeywell at the time of reporting.
