Research from the Ministry of Manpower finds that the proportion of employees and job seekers facing discrimination declined to 6% in 2023.
By Maggie Mancini
The proportion of employees and job seekers in Singapore facing discrimination declined in 2023 compared to 2022, continuing a downward trend that has been observed since 2018, according to the Fair Employment Practices Report by the Ministry of Manpower’s Manpower Research and Statistics Department. Â
The report finds that the proportion of employees experiencing workplace discrimination declined to 6% in 2023 from 8.2% the year before and 8.5% in 2021. At the same time, the proportion of job seekers experiencing discrimination during their job search in 2023 (23.4%) was also lower than in the previous years (23.8% in 2022, 25.8% in 2021, and 42.7% in 2018). Â
In 2023, 63.2% of resident employees worked in firms with formal procedures to manage workplace discrimination, an increase from 59.8% in 2022. There has been a steady rise since 2018 (49.6%). The proportion of employees who sought help after experiencing discrimination declined from 35.3% in 2022 to 29.3% in 2023. Â
Employees cite the fear of marginalisation (24.4%) as the main reason they did not seek help when faced with discrimination at work, as well as the possibility of a negative impact on their careers from seeking help (18.2%). Â
