Intel investigated for discrimination after older workers take brunt of cuts
Intel appears to be under investigation over age-discrimination claims related to its massive layoffs a couple of years ago.
The Santa Clara chip giant disproportionately targeted older workers when it cut thousands of jobs in 2015 and 2016, according to allegations reportedly being reviewed by federal investigators with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The Wall Street Journal and the Oregonian reported about the investigation, with both newspapers saying they have seen EEOC documents pertaining to the investigation.
A spokesman for the EEOC told this publication Tuesday that the agency cannot “furnish any information” until it files a lawsuit, which he called a “last resort.”
Intel is denying the allegations.
“Factors such as age, race, national origin, gender, immigration status, or other personal demographics were not part of the process when we made those decisions,” an Intel spokesman said Tuesday. He would not comment about whether the company has been contacted by the EEOC.
In 2016, the Oregonian reported that according to data Intel provided to the government under law, nearly 41 percent of the employees who were laid off were older than 40.
In 2016, Intel announced that it was cutting 12,000 jobs, or 11 percent of its workforce, as a part of a restructuring. The chipmaker is one of many tech companies in Silicon Valley that have been hit with lawsuits alleging age discrimination.
According to the Wall Street Journal report last week, the EEOC hasn’t yet determined whether to file a class-action lawsuit against Intel.
Also late last week, the Oregonian quoted U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, as saying that the EEOC is working to resolve her constituents’ complaints against Intel over age discrimination.