News Ethiopian Airlines Faces Scrutiny Over Hiring Practices
May 3, 2025
Flagship carrier rejects watchdog’s discrimination allegations
The Ethiopian Airlines Group has dismissed allegations of discriminatory recruitment practices and denial of equal access to employment opportunities for graduates of universities located in several regional states.
Last week, Human Rights First Ethiopia issued a statement detailing alleged discriminatory hiring practices by the national carrier. The local civil society organization accused the Airline of “deep bias” in its treatment of graduate applicants from universities and polytechnic institutions in regions including Tigray, Southern Ethiopia, and South West Ethiopia.
The statement came following a vacancy announcement on April 25, 2025, in which the Airline called for certified automotive and engineering professionals to apply.
“We observed that the Airlines Group posted an online job announcement inviting young applicants with automotive or engineering certificates,” reads the statement. “However, the designated application centers were limited to selected regions—specifically universities and polytechnic institutions in the Central, Western, Eastern, North-Western, and Southern parts of Ethiopia—completely excluding institutions in the three mentioned regional states.”
All seven excluded institutions are government-funded and include Mekelle, Adigrat, Aksum, Raya, Mizan Tepi, Bonga, and Wolaita Sodo universities, according to the CSO.
The organization alleges that applicants from these universities have been disproportionately excluded from the Airline’s recruitment drives, despite meeting qualification requirements.
“The Airline’s recruitment policies have systematically denied young people from some regions a fair chance to apply for jobs, creating an uneven playing field,” the statement says. “This violates the principles of equality enshrined in Ethiopia’s constitution and international human rights conventions to which the country is a signatory.”
Human Rights First Ethiopia cited constitutional provisions guaranteeing equality before the law, freedom of movement and residence, the right to choose one’s occupation, and the right to work.
The organization also argued that the alleged actions by the Airline violate international and continental human rights treaties ratified by Ethiopia, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Labour Organization’s Convention No. 111, which prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, ethnicity, or regional origin.
The CSO argues the exclusion of applicants from Tigray, Southern Ethiopia, and South West Ethiopia effectively denies them equal employment opportunities, reinforcing regional socio-economic marginalization and undermining post-war rehabilitation efforts in Tigray.
“It deprives them of vital job prospects, violates Ethiopia’s constitutional principles of equal citizenship and non-discrimination, and amounts to a human rights violation,” it stated.
Human Rights First Ethiopia called on the Ethiopian Airlines Group to revise its vacancy announcement to ensure access for youth in the three regions—either through local centers, university campuses, or an online application portal.
It also demanded a public apology from the Airline, acknowledging the alleged rights violations and committing to a fair and inclusive recruitment process.
In response, the Group said it has consistently recruited and hired employees from all regions of the country for decades, and rejected any suggestion of bias.
“No targeted or discriminatory recruitment procedures were followed in our recent effort to fill the advertised vacancies,” said its corporate communications office in a written response to The Reporter.
“Due to logistical constraints, it is not always possible to conduct recruitment in all regions simultaneously. However, our history shows that we have reached every corner of the country in an orderly manner, ensuring equal job opportunities for youth across Ethiopia. Our recruitment system is genuinely inclusive,” reads the statement.
The Airline added that the circulating claims are “far from the truth.”
“We humbly state that anyone seeking accurate information on the matter can directly contact the human resource development department of Ethiopian Airlines,” the office said.
Meanwhile, Human Rights First Ethiopia has called on the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman to launch independent investigations and release their findings publicly.
It also urges the ministries of Justice and Labor to ensure that all government-owned development enterprises comply with their legal obligations to prevent discrimination in recruitment practices.