Racial Discrimination the U.S. Labor Market

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Employment discrimination is a controversial issue in the United States. Employment discrimination is discrimination in hiring, promoting, terminating, and compensating employees. Examples of discrimination include age, disability, equal pay, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race/color, religion, and gender. Throughout the years, the United States has enacted numerous laws to try to eliminate employment discrimination. While most of the legislation is effective, discrimination in the workforce still exists today. This paper will focus on one major type of employment discrimination, racial discrimination.
Unfortunately, racism existed in the past and still exists today in the labor market. Discrimination due to ancestry, physical characteristics, culture, and association are also considered types of racial discrimination. Racial discrimination in the workplace can have detrimental impacts on a society’s economy. Racial discrimination in the workplace occurs when an employer fails to hire or promote an individual because of their race. Racial discrimination also involves treating someone unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (EEOC, 2013.). Employers use racial characteristics to create a disadvantage for a current employee or prospective employee.
Racial discrimination in the labor market cost companies millions each year. Legal costs and a possible loss of development from the exclusion of a qualified employee are among the expenses faced by the company. For example, an employer can force qualified employees out of their positions. This can potentially cost the firm huge profits. Unfair treatment of employees can also lead to re...

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