Oral Answer by Mr Lim Swee Say on Companies which Circumvent Local to Foreign Worker Ratio by Offering Lower Grade Jobs to Locals
Notice Paper No. 51 Of 2016 For The Sitting On Or After 1 March 2016
Question No. 124 For Oral Answer
MP: Mr Saktiandi Supaat
To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry is aware of companies circumventing the employment ratio of local to foreign workers by offering lower grade jobs to locals and using the quota to recruit foreigners for supervisory jobs; (b) how many companies have been found indulging in such practices in the past five years; and (c) what action has been taken against them.
Answer
- The number of work permit and S pass holders that a company may employ is capped based on the number of locals it employs. In a tight labour market, companies will have to compete for local workers to be eligible for foreign workers. To help locals upgrade to better jobs and careers, the Government has put in place various initiatives to improve their skills and help them progress in their job ladders.
- Employers who do not treat their local workers fairly will not only be less able to attract and retain them, but also risk violating the Employment of Foreign Manpower Regulations which stipulate that employers are required to provide fair employment opportunities to Singaporeans.
- We wish to remind all employers that MOM takes a serious view of all forms of employment discrimination. We partner with TAFEP to look into complaints where Singaporeans are not considered fairly for jobs or promotion, for both the rank and file and PMET levels. If the complaints are substantiated, their work pass applications will be subjected to greater scrutiny and their work pass privileges may even be suspended.
- Members of the public who are aware of such unfair practices should report them to MOM or TAFEP for investigation.