{"id":4781,"date":"2021-09-01T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T08:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/?p=4781"},"modified":"2021-09-01T17:02:09","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01T09:02:09","slug":"understanding-the-tripartite-guidelines-on-fair-employment-practices-fair-consideration-framework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/understanding-the-tripartite-guidelines-on-fair-employment-practices-fair-consideration-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding TAFEP Guidelines On Fair Employment Practices & Fair Consideration Framework"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Tripartite Alliance For Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) has set out Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices<\/a>, which applies regardless of whether businesses are hiring locals or foreigners. Of the five principles, the one of relevance to hiring is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recruit and select employees on the basis of merit (such as skills, experience or ability to perform the job), and regardless of age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family responsibilities, or disability.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the case where employers are being flagged for unfair hiring practices, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) can and has taken action by penalising employers for discriminatory hiring practices, by banning them from hiring foreign employees and not being to able to renew work passes of existing employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his National Day Rally 2021, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong went a step further to say that the government “will enshrine the TAFEP guidelines in law”. He elaborated that this move will give TAFEP more teeth and expand the range of actions the government can take. He was quick to note that legal address will be a last resort. Conciliation and mediation will remain as the first choice, and only if it fails will the matter escalate to a Tribunal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: National Day Rally 2021: 6 Things That Business Owners Should Know<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job Ads Need To Demonstrate A Fair And Consistent Criteria<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In accordance to Tripartite Guidelines, you should use the competencies that the job requires as the criteria. Age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family responsibilities, or disability should not be part of the job ad criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You Cannot Put In A Job Ad<\/strong><\/td>What You Can Use Instead<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Age E.g. \u201cmust be below 45 years old\u201d, \u201cyoung\u201d, \u201cyouthful environment\u201d.<\/td>Physical requirements of the jobE.g. \u201cmust be able to lift and load 15 kg loads\u201d, \u201cmust be able to handle heavy equipment\u201d  <\/td><\/tr>
Race\/ Ethnicity E.g. \u201cChinese preferred\u2019\u2019, \u2018\u2019Malay preferred\u2019\u2019 or \u201cChinese \/ Malay \/ Tamil speaking environment\u201d.<\/td>Language requirements of the jobE.g. \u201ctranslator for a leading Chinese fashion magazine. Proficiency in Chinese is a must\u201d, \u201ctour guides for Japanese tourist groups. Knowledge of Japanese is essential\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
Gender E.g. \u201cMale preferred\u201d, \u201cfemale working environment\u201d <\/td>Reason for gender requirementE.g. \u201cHealth spa requires female therapists to do personal body massage and spa treatments for its female customers\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
Religion E.g. \u201cChristians preferred\u201d<\/td>Reason for religion requirementE.g \u201cpracticing Taoist to perform religious rites\u201d or fulfil religious certification standards as part of the job requirements<\/td><\/tr>
Marital Status E.g. \u201cMust not be married or have children\u201d<\/td>Marital status should not be a requirement for a job as jobs can be performed equally if the candidate has the competency. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
(Examples above adapted from TAFEP\u2019s Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Interview Process Needs To Demonstrate Fair Selection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not only does your job ad not be discriminatory, you also need to demonstrate that you have fairly considered all candidates in the interview process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the unfortunate case where you are investigated by MOM\/ TAFEP for discriminatory practices, you need to produce evidence that you have given all candidates fair consideration. This means keeping a record of who you have interviewed and offered the job to<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is possible to be flagged for discriminatory practices even if you did not specify age in your job ad, but you only interviewed candidates who are below age 45, even though there are older candidates who have the similar qualifications. Another example is that a job ad for English teacher can be flagged as discriminatory, if only Caucasian candidates are interviewed, even though there are other applicants with English teaching certifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/strong>Singapore Budget 2020: How Enterprise Financing Scheme (EFS) Can Help SMEs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Job Needs To Be Open To Singaporeans<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

MOM\u2019s emphasis is to develop a strong Singapore core workforce, and this is reflected in the Tripartite guidelines. Jobs advertised must be open to Singaporeans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While\u00a0Work Permits and S Passes<\/a>\u00a0are restricted as a proportion of the number of locals hired by a company, Employment Passes do not have this restriction. Instead, the Fair Consideration Framework is put in place to ensure that all candidates, including Singaporeans, are fairly considered for the jobs offered to foreigners.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fair Consideration Framework (FCF)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Under the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF)<\/a>, employers are required to advertise a job position on MyCareersFuture<\/a> for 14 calendar days before they can apply for an Employment Pass (EP) for that position. This is ensure that all candidates are fairly considered and jobs are not just arbitrarily reserved for a candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there are any changes to the job ad pertaining to salary offered, occupation, number of vacancies available or the employing company, the job ad must be extended for another 14 calendar days before the employer can make an EP application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/em><\/strong>Singapore Employers\u2019 Guide To Work Permits, S Pass and Employment Pass<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers May Be Flagged For The FCF Watchlist Even If They Compiled With FCF<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As an employer, even if you have abided by fair hiring practices, gave fair considerations during the interview process and compiled with the FCF for EP applications, it is possible to be flagged by MOM\/ TAFEP and be placed on the FCF Watchlist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MOM does monitor the overall proportion of foreign EP holders in a company. If the proportion is higher than your industry peers or if there is a high concentration of EP holders from a single nationality, it is possible for the company to be flagged for FCF Watchlist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TAFEP Guidelines Written Into Law; Penalties For Unfair Hiring<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned in his National Day Rally 2021, TAFEP guidelines will be written into law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with TAFEP guidelines enshrined in law, the preferred outcome will be for businesses and their employees to resolve workplace disputes informally and amicably. Only when this is not possible, the matter will go to a Tribunal to arbitrate and decide the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: Winners and Losers Of 2021 National Day Rally (NDR) Speech<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, companies on the FCF Watchlist are closely scrutinised during their hiring process, especially for positions that they have made EP applications. Companies on the watchlist may face additional intervention by TAFEP and longer EP processing times as their hiring process is scrutinised.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MOM may impose harsher penalties such as banning the company from applying for new work passes (EP, work permits and S passes) as well as debarment from work pass renewals. This can affect the company\u2019s ability to retain their existing foreign staff as the duration for most work passes is 2 to 3 years. If the company is debarred from work pass renewals, it could affect one-third to half of their foreign staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, MOM can 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving All Candidates A Chance Is The Key To Fair Hiring Practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hiring is the employer\u2019s decision. The Tripartite Guidelines and Fair Consideration Framework are just government policies to guide employers to hire fairly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it is up to the employer to give every candidate a fair chance to showcase themselves as a viable candidate and the candidate to prove that they are the right fit for the company. The question for every company is whether you are giving qualified candidates a fair chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was first published on\u00a013 August 2020<\/strong>\u00a0and has been updated with latest information.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Companies need to ensure they adhere to fair hiring guidelines – as well as ensure the desired outcomes are met.\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[95],"tags":[137,113,343,182,257],"yoast_head":"\nUnderstanding TAFEP Guidelines On Fair Employment Practices & Fair Consideration Framework | DollarsAndSense Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"All you need to know about Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and Fair Consideration Framework.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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