Top Auditing Firm Pays $420K Settlement For Allegedly Not Hiring Asians on Purpose

KPMG, an auditing firm headquartered in New York, agreed to pay out a $420,000 settlement for allegedly discriminating against 60 Asian job applicants, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

In the case, The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) alleged that KPMG discriminated Asian applicants for associate auditing jobs at their office in Short Hills, New Jersey between October 2011 and March 2013. This violates Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating job candidates based on race, color or nationality.

The settlement includes back wages, interest, and job opportunities for six of the applicants who were affected.

KPMG is a large firm with clients including U.S. Department of Energy, and Housing and Urban Development, NASA, and the IRS, totaling $14 million in contracts, according to NJ.com.

“Together, the department and KPMG will ensure that this issue is resolved, and that the company has the measures in place to comply with federal hiring and employment law,” said Thomas Dowd, OFCCP Acting Director.

A KPMG rep released the following statement regardless the settlement:

“KPMG has long been recognized as a great place to work and build a career, including being named the 2017 Best Employer for Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) by the Asia Society,”

“We could not be more proud of our diverse and inclusive culture, which influences everything we do and is an essential element of our business strategy.”

As part of the settlement, KPMG did not have to admit any wrongdoing.

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