With the recent spat unfair recruitment advertisement being highlighted, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices, TAFEP has published a list illustrating what is and isn't acceptable in job advertisements.
Below are the guidelines provided by the TAFEP and a list illustrating acceptable and unacceptable job advertisements, reproduced from the TAFEP website for the convenience of our readers.
Creating a job advertisement starts with knowing what the tasks and responsibilities of the job is, and the skills, abilities, experiences and qualifications needed to perform the job. The job advertisement should not give others the perception that it is discriminatory in any way, as this could create an unfavourable impression or even cause public displeasure towards the organisation.
As a general principle, employers should avoid stating a preference for age, race, language, gender, marital status and religion. If a position requires a specific attribute that may be viewed as discriminatory, state the reason for the requirement in the advertisement. If a job requires proficiency in a particular language, the job advertisement should spell out the need for the requirement. This would reduce ambiguity and minimise incidence of misunderstanding between the job seekers and the employer.
The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices are used by Human Resource experts and hiring managers to help them develop fair and merit-based employment practices. The Recruitment and Job Advertisements Section of the guidelines can be referred to when creating job ads. You can also download the Guidelines in the four languages here:
Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in English
Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in Chinese
Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in Malay
Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in Tamil
| Nationality Words or phrases that exclude Singaporeans or indicate preference for non-Singaporeans should not be used. |
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Non-Singaporeans preferred Singaporeans and Malaysians preferred Singaporeans and Malaysians welcome Singaporeans and Filipinos (or other nationalities) Singaporeans and SPRs only EP/S Pass/WP/DP/LTSVP Holders | No mention of any nationality Only Singaporeans |
| Language If a job entails proficiency in a particular language, employers should justify the need for the requirement. |
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Mandarin is an advantage English/Chinese (Mandarin Speak Mandarin Putonghua an advantage | Chinese-language teacher for pre-school centre, good credit in 'O' Level Chinese Translator for a leading Malay sports magazine. Proficiency in Malay is a must. |
| Age Words or phrases that suggest preference for job candidates of a particular age group should not be used. |
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Below 30 only Youthful working environment Age 25-30 only Fresh graduates are welcome to apply | Older workers welcome Job is suitable for older workers 3 years of relevant experience No experience required |
| Race Race should not be a criterion for the selection of job candidates as multi-racialism is a fundamental principle in Singapore. |
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Chinese preferred Prefer Malays | - |
| Religion Religion is unacceptable as a criterion for recruitment except in cases where employees have to perform religious functions as part of the job requirement. |
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Christians preferred No Muslims. Work involve handling alcohol | Chinese restaurant needs chef. Requires handling of pork and beef. |
| Gender Words or phrases that suggest preference for job candidates of a particular gender should not be used. |
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Strong guys needed Preferably female Female working environment | Women's fashion boutique requires sales staff to model clothes while on the job Physical work required |
| Marital Status Generally an irrelevant criterion in employment as jobs can be performed equally well by either married or single persons. |
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Preferably singles | Frequent overseas travelling is expected |
RSS Feed
