Trade bodies in Singapore support fair hiring and employment practices

The Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which coordinated the joint statement with members of the TACs, said the pandemic has caused unprecedented economic disruption for businesses and their workers, and there have been concerns that local jobseekers are not getting a fair deal when job hunting. 

In the joint pledge, the trade bodies commit themselves “to recruiting candidates fairly based on merit and to developing their workforce”. 

The joint statement is aligned with the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) and the Tripartite Guidelines for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TGFEP), SBF added. 

The FCF, introduced in 2014, sets out requirements for all employers to consider Singaporeans fairly for all job opportunities, including job advertisements, while TGFEP commit employers to prevent discrimination at the workplace and encouraging businesses to adopt progressive human resource practices. 

Together, the 29 TACs represent businesses from different sectors and include multinational companies, large local enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises. 

The TACs have pledged to follow core principles in three areas: promoting positive workplace relations, practising fair hiring and providing development opportunities.  

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SBF chairman Lim Ming Yan said, “The Singapore business community plays a vital role in our economy in fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. This joint statement underlines the importance for businesses to embrace fair hiring and employment practices and provides sustainable pathways to building a strong workforce for successful business in Singapore. We encourage more TACs to come on board and push forth these practices as valued aggregators and multipliers in our business ecosystem.”