‘It is shameful’: Tech company slammed for job posting seeking only white applicants

(Gray News/TMX) - An information technology services company’s job listing inviting only whites and U.S.-born people to apply caught the attention of the U.S. government and others.

This week, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice said they along with the Department of Labor have reached agreements with Arthur Grand Technologies Inc. based in Virginia over the 2023 job posting that asked for white applicants only.

Arthur Grand Technologies’ job advertisement generated national headlines for requesting that “only U.S.-born citizens [white]” and those living within 60 miles of Dallas, Texas, apply for its business analyst position.

The company denied approving the job ad, according to the Justice Department.

Arthur Grand said it was posted by a “disgruntled recruiter in India” who intended to “embarrass” the company.

After an investigation, the Justice Department determined the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act when it requested only candidates born in the U.S. The request unlawfully deterred U.S. citizens born outside the U.S. as well as certain non-citizens who are eligible to work.

The Labor Department, meanwhile, found the company had violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

“It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using ‘whites only’ and ‘only U.S.-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,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said. “The Justice Department, working with other government agencies, will continue to hold employers accountable when they violate our nation’s federal civil rights laws.”

As part of the agreement with the Justice Department, Arthur Grand Technologies will pay a $7,500 civil penalty.

As part of its agreement with the Labor Department, the company will also pay $31,000 to compensate those who filed complaints.

“Over the past 58 years, OFCCP has protected workers and job seekers from workplace discrimination. We are committed to holding federal contractors accountable for outrageous discriminatory practices like this advertisement,” said Acting Director Michele Hodge, of the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. “Companies like Arthur Grand, that accept federal contracts cannot have a ‘whites only’ hiring process.”