Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, February 5, 2025 Real World News
This summer, accounting behemoth PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) is hosting a career advancement conference for college students in Orlando, Florida that excludes white and Asian applicants, a report said.
The Career Preview is a three-day seminar which "imposes race-based selection criteria on applicants," The Daily Wire reported on Feb. 4.
“Career Preview is a chance to really see what PwC is about, how your major fits in at the firm, and begin a professional relationship with PwC employees invested in your personal and professional growth,” the company’s website says before listing off the discriminatory eligibility requirements.
Selected candidates will have the cost of their travel and accommodations covered by PwC.
PwC's Career Preview application states that applicants must be black or Hispanic and asks applicants, “Do you self-identify as a member of traditionally underrepresented groups in the professional services industry?” again explaining that the term refers specifically to those who are “Black or Latino/Hispanic.” The question is mandatory and students are not able to apply without answering it.
“With respect to applicants, an employer cannot ‘limit, segregate, or classify’ them in a way that ‘deprives or tends to deprive’ anyone of an employment opportunity. The question here is not whether PwC is classifying its applicants — it is — but whether these programs increase the chances of getting hired permanently,” Heritage Foundation Legal Fellow GianCarlo Canaparo told The Daily Wire.
“With respect to applicants, an employer cannot ‘limit, segregate, or classify’ them in a way that ‘deprives or tends to deprive’ anyone of an employment opportunity. The question here is not whether PwC is classifying its applicants — it is — but whether these programs increase the chances of getting hired permanently,” Canaparo said.
With President Donald Trump back in office, PwC could be taking on significant risk by embracing race-based selection policies.
“It’s worth remembering that abstract legal opinions are only so useful. What really matters is how the Trump administration reads the law,” Canaparo told The Daily Wire. “I am confident that the Trump administration will take an aggressive position against any programs that even seem discriminatory. So, even if the particulars of a given program are close to the line, and even if a particular judge might eventually side with PwC, the Trump Administration can put PwC through a legal and regulatory blender over these policies while it presses its reading of the Civil Rights Act.”
Upon taking office, Trump signed an executive order purging DEI from executive agencies of the federal government.
"The Trump administration now has the opportunity to quash DEI discrimination among corporations and non-profit organizations by issuing consent decrees, initiating investigations, and filing lawsuits against those who run afoul of non-discrimination law," Spencer Lindquist wrote for The Daily Wire.
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