Discrimination dropped from 24.1% to 8.2.%
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) revealed encouraging statistics that demonstrate a positive trend in the reduction of discrimination experienced by job seekers and employees. According to MOM’s research, the proportion of job seekers facing discrimination during their job search dropped for the second consecutive year, reaching 23.8% in 2022. This is a significant decline from 25.8% in 2021 and 42.7% in 2018.
Similarly, discrimination against employees in the workplace continued to decline, with only 8.2% experiencing discrimination in 2022 compared to 8.5% in the previous year and 24.1% in 2018.
The data also highlighted the specific areas where discrimination was observed. In 2022, age, race, and mental health were the more common forms of discrimination during job searches, with 16.6%, 7.1%, and 5.0% respectively.
Within workplaces, mental health discrimination ranked as the most prevalent form in 2022, affecting 4.7% of employees. Age discrimination followed closely at 3.7%, while race discrimination was reported by 2.6% of employees.
The positive shift in these statistics can be partly attributed to an increase in employees seeking help when they encounter discrimination at work. The proportion of those seeking assistance almost doubled to 35.3% in 2022, compared to 20.0% in 2021. Additionally, more firms took proactive measures to address workplace discrimination, with 59.8% having formal procedures in place in 2022, up from 54.0% in 2021.
Overall, the concerted efforts of MOM, TAFEP (Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices), and other tripartite partners to promote fair employment practices have contributed to this positive development. The Ministry expressed optimism that this progress will lead to even greater improvements in workplace fairness in the future. It is evident that the collective actions taken from 2018 to 2022 have significantly reduced discrimination and are helping to foster a more inclusive and equitable job market in Singapore.
