Employment discrimination falls further in 2022: MOM

INCIDENTS of discrimination at the workplace and during the job-seeking process have fallen further for the second consecutive year, indicating a continued downtrend in recent years.

Based on findings from the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) survey on fair employment practices, 8.2 per cent of employees reported discrimination at the workplace in 2022, while 23.8 per cent said they faced discrimination during their job search.

The figures were down from that of 2021, when 8.5 per cent of employees said they faced discrimination at the workplace and 25.8 per cent of jobseekers reported likewise.

In 2018, 24.1 per cent of employed workers reported incidents of discrimination, while 42.7 per cent of jobseekers did the same.

Age remained the top form of discrimination (16.6 per cent) faced by jobseekers in 2022, followed by race (7.1 per cent) and mental health (5 per cent), which took over nationality’s third ranking as a top form of discrimination in 2021.

MOM on Monday (Jul 31) said the continued improvement in 2022 follows efforts by the ministry as well as the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices and its partners to promote fair employment practices.

It observed that the proportion of employees who sought help upon facing discrimination at work nearly doubled to 35.3 per cent in 2022, from 20 per cent in 2021.

More employees also reported that their firms had formal procedures in place to manage workplace discrimination in 2022 at 59.8 per cent, up from 54 per cent in 2021.

“This is a good development and could lead to further improvements in workplace fairness in the future. Analysis of the survey results suggest that the presence of formal procedures to manage workplace discrimination reduced the likelihood of age, race, sex, maternal and marital status discrimination,” said the ministry.

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The 2022 survey covered 3,600 Singapore residents in the labour force aged 15 and up, of whom 80.3 per cent responded.

The release of its findings comes ahead of the impending workplace fairness legislation, which is expected to be introduced by 2024.

“Enacting the workplace fairness legislation will further strengthen our stand against workplace discrimination in Singapore and ensure access to fair opportunities for our workers,” said MOM.