MOM DISCRIMINATION JOB AD
Singapore – The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has said it could take legal action against a recruitment firm that posted a job placement which asked for permanent residence and employment pass holders only.
According to an article published in Today, it is believed this is the first time the fair employment law will be carried out in Singapore. The clause in the Employment Act states that it bars employment agencies from acting in “a manner detrimental to public interest”.
MOM has so far only issued the recruitment firm a warning as it took “immediate rectification actions”.
MOM said employers should not discriminate against candidates as it could exclude those who are capable of doing the job required. It added that companies should “leverage on the synergies that could be derived from a diverse workforce” and that only relevant criteria such as qualifications, skills and experience should be included in job ads.
“This reiterates the need for fair play when it comes to hiring, and the need to hire on merit,” Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for State for Manpower, said in a blog post with regards to the incident.
Most recruiters MediaCorp spoke to were unaware such a law existed. They said some times companies do request for foreign talent after exhausting the search for local candidates with the skill sets required.
However, David Ang, executive director at the Singapore Human Resources Institute, advised employers and recruiters to “be more precise in their ad” if there is indeed a talent shortage.
“Say 'in fulfilling our contract, we're looking for this group of people', or something to that effect, so as not to give an impression that they're being discriminatory,” he suggested.
MOM added that members of the public can feedback to the ministry or the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) should they come across job ads which can be considered discriminatory. This will help companies “review and improve their hiring and advertising practices”.
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