DHI Group, Inc. Conciliates EEOC National Origin Discrimination Finding

MIAMI – DHI Group, Inc., which operates job-search website for technology professionals Dice.com, has entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Equal Employ­ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to resolve national origin discrimination charges, the federal agency announced today.

This resolution resolves multiple charges of discrimination filed against DHI, ending an investigation in which the EEOC determined it had reasonable cause to believe DHI violated Title VII when some of its customers posted positions on Dice.com that excluded those of American national origin, thereby deterring a class of workers from applying. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers, employment agencies, and labor organizations from publishing an employment notice that indicates a preference or limitation based on national origin.

Pursuant to the conciliation agreement, DHI will compensate the estate of the original complainant and agreed to rewrite its programming to “scrape” for potentially discriminatory keywords such as “OPT”, “H1B” or “Visa” that appears near the words “only” or “must” in its customer’s new job postings. DHI also agreed to revise its guidance to customers on its “Job Postings not permitted on Dice” website pop-up to include instructions to avoid language such as “H-1Bs Only” or “H-1Bs and OPT Preferred.”

“We appreciate DHI’s willingness to take steps to prevent future job postings on its site that discriminate against national origin,” said Chelsae J. Ford, systemic coordinator for the EEOC’s Miami District. “DHI’s use of programming to ‘scrape’ for potentially discriminatory postings illustrates a beneficial use of artificial intelligence in combatting employment discrimination.”

The EEOC’s Miami District Office director, Evangeline Hawthorne, added, “It is imperative that individuals have equal access to employment, regardless of national origin. This settlement serves as a reminder that the provisions of Title VII extend to employment agencies.”

For more information on discrimination based on national origin, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination.

For more information on the EEOC’s Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Fairness Initiative, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/ai.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.