PricewaterhouseCoopers has agreed to pay $11.625 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the global accounting firm discriminated against older applicants for certain positions.
The deal, outlined in court papers filed Tuesday evening, would require the global accounting firm to commit to a hiring program that would allow candidates age 40 or older to apply for entry-level positions. The programmatic relief, that the firm would be required to maintain for at least two years under the deal, includes hiring a consultant to advise on inclusivity and age bias in the hiring and training process, advertising positions to older workers, and to avoid asking graduation date information of applicants who have graduated from college before making a job offer. The settlement also requires the company to make “public and internal statements” expressing its commitment to diverse hiring, including using age-diverse photos in its recruiting materials.
