The Department of Justice has accused Facebook of discriminating against American workers in the hiring process. In a lawsuit, the Justice Department alleged that it refused to consider or recruit qualified American workers for the position the company had reserved for temporary visa holders. Around 2,600 high paying jobs were offered to foreigners with special visas. According to the agency, the company even sponsored visa holders for green cards. This helped them to work permanently in the country. “A hiring system was intentionally created by Facebook to deny qualified workers a fair opportunity. It gave preference to temporary visa holders,” the statement by the Justice Department reads.
Facebook said that the claims made by the Justice Department are baseless. However, it will fully cooperate with the agency during the investigation. “We cannot comment on pending litigation,” the company said. Prosecutors accused in the lawsuit that once hired as a staff, the worker would ask the company for a permanent position so that he or she can stay in the United States. The company would then create a position that will be filled with the foreigner who requested for it, the Justice Department alleged. According to Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, the lawsuit filed by the Justice Department alleged that Facebook was involved in intentional and widespread violations of the law.
Facebook has more than 52,000 employees. The company usually advertises about new job openings on its corporate website. Every job sees hundreds of Americans applying for the position. But there were no American candidates in the permanent jobs offered to foreigners. “Facebook did not advertise the permanent position on its website. Moreover, it did not accept applications online. The company asked candidates to directly mail their application,” the lawsuit said. The concerned position offered an average salary of around USD 156,000. Officials of the Justice Department said that Facebook intentionally gave preference to foreigners from 2018 to September 2019. Now the agency is asking for back pay and unspecified civil penalties on behalf of US workers. The agency believes that Facebook simply hides job listings and violated important labor rules. The lawsuit mentions a strange incident where job opening was not mentioned on the website of the San Francisco Chronicle. This is when the opening was listed in the print and online listing is absolutely free. Prosecutors said the double standard has yet to be remedied.
