Instacart to pay $5 million after being accused of discriminating against American workers

Instacart's parent company, Maplebear, has agreed to pay $5 million to resolve a federal investigation into allegations that the grocery delivery firm favored non-American candidates in its recruitment and hiring.The settlement was announced on Tuesday by two US agencies. The US Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission carried out the investigation.The agencies said they had found evidence that Instacart preferred to hire foreign workers through an employment-based green card program rather than Americans for unspecified jobs.Under the terms of the deal, Maplebear will pay $1 million in penalties. It will also pay up to $4 million to affected people who applied for jobs between December 2023 and February 2026, the agencies said.The company additionally agreed to post job openings available to foreign workers on its public website. It will also accept electronic applications from Americans.Instacart, in a statement provided by a spokesperson, said the company encourages qualified US job seekers to apply for jobs and seeks to attract broad pools of candidates for open positions."While we maintain that our practices complied with all applicable laws and regulations, we’re pleased to have resolved this matter so we can keep our full focus on delivering on our mission for customers, shoppers, retailers, and brands," the company said.President Donald Trump, a Republican, has sought to crack down on what he says are widespread abuses of foreign worker visa programs.The Justice Department has since last year compiled more than a dozen settlements with companies accused of discriminating against Americans.Among them was a $3.2 million deal with OpenAI announced in August. OpenAI denied claims that it discouraged Americans from applying for jobs. The EEOC, which enforces federal laws banning workplace discrimination, has separately announced a handful of settlements and lawsuits against companies accused of bias against American workers.