Discrimination Still Prevalent, Particularly Regarding Age, Race, and Nationality
In 2023, workplace discrimination in Singapore continued its decline, with 6% of residents in the labour force reporting discrimination, down from 8.2% in 2022 and 8.5% in 2021, according to a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) report published on September 24. Despite this decline, discrimination during job searches remains an issue, though it has also slightly decreased, with 23.4% of job seekers reporting discrimination, compared to 23.8% in 2022.
Age was the most prevalent form of discrimination, affecting 2.6% of employees in 2023. Other common factors included race and nationality, which continued to be major sources of bias in the workplace. However, fewer employees who experienced discrimination sought help. In 2023, only 29.3% of those affected turned to their employers for assistance, a decrease from 35.3% in 2022.
The report highlighted that the main reasons for not seeking help were the fear of marginalisation or damaging workplace relationships (24.4%) and concerns about career harm (18.2%). The addition of gender identity and criminal history as factors in workplace discrimination assessments further expands the scope of reported issues. The findings point to the need for more efforts to encourage employees to seek help when facing discrimination.
