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A tech company in Virginia has been fined thousands of dollars by the Justice Department over a job advert seeking “whites only” candidates.
In March 2023, a recruiter for Arthur Grand Technologies, an information technology services firm based in Ashburn, posted a job advertisement on the recruitment website Indeed for a business analyst for the company’s sales and insurance claims team.
The job posting said that the company was looking for “US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates]”, according to the DOJ.
After the posting went viral on social media, an investigation was launched by the DOJ and the Department of Labor.
Meanwhile, the company denied it had approved the posting and blamed a disgruntled employee working for its subsidiary in India.
One year on, the DOJ said its probe found the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by discriminating against potential candidates based on citizenship status and national origin.
Assistant attorney general Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division described the company’s actions as “shameful”.
“It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using ‘whites only’ and ‘only US born’ job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color. I share the public’s outrage at Arthur Grand’s appalling and discriminatory ban on job candidates based on citizenship status, national origin, color and race,” Ms Clarke said in a statement.
“The Justice Department, working with other government agencies, will continue to hold employers accountable when they violate our nation’s federal civil rights laws.”
In a press release, the DOJ said both it and the Department of Labor have now reached separate agreements with Arthur Grand over the matter.
The company was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $7,500 as well as $31,000 compensation to those who filed complaints with the Department of Labor.
Arthur Grand has also promised to provide training for all company employees involved in recruiting, selecting candidates or tracking expressions of interest for open positions.
