Facebook has settled a major discrimination case, agreeing to pay a record $14.5m to settle claims made by US workers
The world’s biggest social media giant, Facebook, has agreed to pay a record $14.5m to settle claims it discriminated against U.S. workers in its hiring practice.
The United States Department of Justice claimed that the tech giant often overlooked US workers in favour of foreign ones on temporary visas.
It is the biggest penalty of its kind issued by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Facebook said it “strongly believes” it met the federal government’s standards
“Facebook is not above the law, and must comply with our nation’s federal civil rights laws, which prohibit discriminatory recruitment and hiring practices,”
said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ.
“Companies cannot set aside certain positions for temporary visa holders because of their citizenship or immigration status.”
The tech sector in the United States often uses temporary visas, including the H-1B, to bring highly skilled foreign guest workers to America.
Tech giants argues those foreign workers are vital, because there are not enough American science and engineering graduates to fill the jobs available in areas such as artificial intelligence.
However, critics say the laws governing temporary visas are lax, and make it too easy to replace U.S workers with cheaper foreign labour – something US law prohibits.
