The Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) sets out requirements for all employers in Singapore to consider the workforce in Singapore fairly for job opportunities. Employers should not discriminate on characteristics that are not related to the job, such as age, gender, nationality or race.
All employers in Singapore are expected to adhere to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices.
FCF job advertising requirement
To promote fair employment practices and improve labour market transparency, employers submitting Employment Pass and S Pass applications must first advertise on MyCareersFuture and fairly consider all candidates. Find out more about the FCF job advertising requirements for Employment Pass and S Pass.
To access a larger pool of candidates, employers in Singapore are strongly encouraged to advertise their job vacancies on MyCareersFuture, even if those jobs are eligible for advertising exemption.
Whichever recruitment channel used, all employers must practice fair hiring.
For instance, some employers go through the motion of advertising on MyCareersFuture after pre-selecting a foreigner, and do not review the applicants from MyCareersFuture. Other employers post discriminatory job advertisements. These practices breach the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, and employers that engage in these practices may be debarred from hiring foreign employees.
Employment agencies are equally expected to uphold the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and the FCF when they undertake work for their clients.
In January 2020, MOM strengthened the FCF for greater deterrence against workplace discrimination.
We have raised the administrative penalties across the board for all discrimination cases:
- The minimum period of work pass debarment has increased from 6 months to 12 months. For more egregious cases, the debarment period can be up to a maximum of 24 months.
- The debarment scope has expanded to include work pass renewals in addition to new work pass applications.
As the duration of most work passes is two to three years, for a 12-month debarment, one-third to half of the work passes cannot be renewed. For a 24-month debarment, up to all the work passes cannot be renewed, and the firm cannot hire new foreign employees.
In addition, MOM will prosecute errant employers or key personnel who make false declarations that they have considered all candidates fairly. Employers convicted of false declaration under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act will face imprisonment of up to 2 years, or fine up to $20,000, or both
FCF Watchlist for employers with possibly discriminatory hiring practices
MOM proactively identifies employers with indications of discriminatory hiring practices and places them on the FCF Watchlist for closer scrutiny.
For example, we are concerned about employers which have:
- Complaints of discriminatory HR practices (e.g. involving age, race, religion or nationality bias).
- Hiring practices that differ significantly from industry peers. For example, employers with exceptionally high share of foreign PMETs, or very high concentration of a single nationality. These are indicators of possible discriminatory hiring practices.
MOM closely scrutinises Employment Pass and S Pass applications from employers on the FCF Watchlist. At the same time, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) engages these employers to help them improve their HR practices. Uncooperative employers may have their work pass privileges curtailed.
Report workplace discrimination
Report to TAFEP if you notice:
- Any discriminatory job advertisements.
- Any discriminatory HR practices.
Find out more
You can approach TAFEP for more information, including about the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices.