Stopping Discriminatory Hiring Practices Against Singaporeans
Stopping Discriminatory Hiring Practices Against Singaporeans?
With the increase in foreigners in our workforce in recent years, Singaporeans have faced difficulties during hiring processes due to discriminatory practices.
The new revised measures now introduces harsher penalties for firms who favor hiring foreigners over Singaporeans. Such firms will:
1. Be barred from applying for new work passes for a period of 12-24 months which is an increase from the minimum debarment period of 6 months.
2. Not be allowed to renew existing work passes.
These measures came into place with the belief that companies generally understand the importance of fair employment, however in certain cases, the discriminatory mindset of companies will require harsher penalties to be dealt with.
This puts a stop to workplace discrimination and as a stern reminder about the importance of fairness at work.
With the new measures in place, several companies have already been penalised. One company in particular would be Ti2 Logistics who was charged for making a false declaration in order to hire foreigners. They currently face a 24 month restriction. Ti2 Logistics had also failed to assess potential workers fairly before hiring.
In recent years, the number of complaints received against companies for unfair treatment has increased. Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) received more than 2000 complaints in which MOM took action in 680 of these cases. 400 employers were issued warning letters while 280 were banned from hiring new foreigners. Out of the 280 cases, 135 were related to discrimination against nationality.
These companies with discriminatory hiring practices would be put on an FCF watchlist until improvements have been made to their HR practices where they reduce the proportion of foreigners in their workforce.
On a good note, job discrimination has fallen over the years. More older workers and women are getting hired. MOM aims to implement more measures to strengthen fairness in the workforce and to curb nationality discrimination. Such harsher measures aim to deter discriminatory practices.
[11:26, 30/01/2020] Mel: What is MOM Doing About Hiring Discrimination?
Singaporeans will be glad to know that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is working on updating the Fair Consideration Framework.
The Fair Consideration Framework sets the standards for companies to follow to ensure fairness in hiring. Companies who favoured hiring foreigners wil be placed under the MOM watchlist and monitored thoroughly. Companies that have made improvements to be more inclusive in their hiring processes will then be removed from the watchlist.
According to the Minister for Manpower, Josephine Teo, Singaporeans can expect stronger deterrence for discrimination against Singaporeans when hiring and also stronger support for employers who are committed to fairness in hiring.
“For jobseekers, fairness is when employers hire on merit…When a person is the best candidate, gender, age, race, physical or past medical conditions should not be barriers,” – Josephine Teo.
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Post written by Shaun Lee Bryant, Singapore Immigration Specialist
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