Apple has agreed to pay a $25 million (€23.4 million) fine as part of a long-running investigation into illegal business practices. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the tech company went out of its way to hire asylum seekers rather than U.S. citizens or status holders for certain positions. This will lead to discrimination in the workplace.
According to the ministry, the company did not publish job postings on its website for some positions, although it normally would. Interested parties were also required to submit their applications on paper, but this is often also possible online. “So applicants with permanent work permits either did not respond at all or very few responded.”
Apple took advantage of a federal program that allows asylum seekers to obtain residence permits through their employers. Thanks to this possibility, the probability of switching to another employer becomes much less. Immigrant labor costs are also generally lower.
Compensation
According to the department, this is the largest settlement to date regarding discrimination against American citizens in the labor market. The tech giant promises improvements. The bulk of the settlement amount ($18.25 million) will go to a fund that provides compensation to victims.
$25 million is a very small amount for the technology company, which closed its fiscal year in September with $383 billion in annual revenue.
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
