May 29, 2018 12:30:00

Intel comes under fire after being accused of prioritizing layoffs of older employees

by

Mark Sze

Intel , a major American semiconductor manufacturer, has been strongly criticized for ``discriminating against employees based on age and prioritizing layoffs of older employees'' during a large-scale layoff of 10,000 employees that began in 2016. I am receiving

Intel Faces Age-Discrimination Claims - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/intel-faces-age-discrimination-claims-1527264300

Intel accused of age discrimination - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/28/17401892/intel-age-discrimination-layoffs-investigation

Intel announced a 12,000-person restructuring plan on April 19, 2016. At the time of the plan, CEO Brian Krzanich issued a statement to employees saying, ``We will achieve our goals by reducing the workforce of both those who have voluntarily submitted their resignations and those who have been selected by the company.''

E-mail to Employees by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich
(PDF file) https://newsroom.intel.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2016/04/krzanich-restructuring-memo.pdf

However, in reality, the Wall Street Journal revealed the existence of internal documents showing that Intel was prioritizing the layoff of older workers and leaving younger workers behind.

Generally speaking, older employees tend to have higher salaries and have more things to protect, such as their families, so they tend to actively assert their rights as employees. When companies carry out restructuring, they want to give priority to older employees, but in the United States it is prohibited to lay off employees based on age.

According to internal documents published by the Wall Street Journal, the median age of Intel's employees was 42 years old, while the median age of one group of 2,300 layoffs was 42 years old. He was 49 years old, which is older than him. This has led to suspicions that Intel prioritized laying off older employees.

by Morton Lin

Intel claims that it has 'never made decisions based on factors such as age, race, nationality, gender, or immigration status during restructuring,' but dozens of former employees have already filed suit against the law. The Wall Street Journal reports that some people have filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The handling of complaints is left to the EEOC, but if sufficient evidence is found as a result of the investigation to hear the complaints of former employees, there is a possibility that it will develop into a class action lawsuit.