US Labor Department is examining Microsoft’s initiative to hire more Black employees

The US Department of Labor is looking into whether Microsoft’s goal of doubling the amount of Black managers, senior individual contributors and senior leaders in the US by 2025 “could constitute unlawful discrimination on the basis of race,” the tech giant said in a Tuesday blog post. That would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Last week, the US Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) reached out to Microsoft regarding diversity commitments the company made in June “to address issues faced by the Black and African American community,” Microsoft general counsel Dev Stahlkopf said in the blog post. As a federal contractor, the tech giant is subject to many OFCCP requirements, including those related to employment practices.

“We have every confidence that Microsoft’s diversity initiative complies fully with all U.S. employment laws,” Stahlkopf wrote. “We look forward to providing the OFCCP with this information and, if necessary, defending our approach.”