MOM takes action against 10 more companies for discriminatory job advertisements

25 September 2013

1. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has taken action against 10 more companies after investigations found their job advertisements to be discriminatory, and not aligned with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices issued by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP). (See Annex A for details.) These companies have been required to put up online public apologies for 30 days¹, and have been barred from hiring new foreign workers for six months following the publication of these apologies. This brings the total number of companies that MOM has taken action against for discriminatory hiring practices since March 2013 to 12.²
2. Under the Tripartite Guidelines, employers who advertise a position requiring a specific attribute which may be viewed as discriminatory should ensure that the attribute is indeed a requirement of the job, and state the reason for the requirement in the advertisement. For example, words or phrases that exclude Singaporeans or indicate preference for non-Singaporeans and those that exclude or indicate a preference for a certain age group or gender should not be used in job advertisements. (The guidelines for placing job advertisements are in Annex B.)
3. The 10 companies could not provide valid justifications for restricting their recruitment to exclusive groups. All the firms have since removed the discriminatory phrase(s) from their original advertisements. Similar to Expedia Singapore and Incofood Singapore which were investigated by MOM in March 2013, the 10 companies have also put up public apologies for placing discriminatory job advertisements (see Annex C).
4. MOM expects all employers doing business in Singapore to comply with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, and put in place fair employment practices. MOM views non-compliance with the Tripartite Guidelines seriously, and strongly urges companies and employment agencies acting on their behalf to familiarise themselves with the Tripartite Guidelines, which can be accessed at www.tafep.sg. Companies and employment agencies can also approach TAFEP for advice or assistance in complying with the Guidelines. (See Annex D for more details on how complaints of workplace discrimination and discriminatory hiring practices are dealt with by TAFEP and MOM.)