Discussion Forum

5 Mar 2012, 10.37AM

8 comments & replies |by Guest | Learn and Earn

1) Tripartite Alliance website:

Recruitment Practices

What are the criteria which should not be included in the job advertisements?

Job advertisements should stick to relevant criteria. Criteria relating to age, race, language, gender, religion, and marital status may be viewed as discriminatory and should not be used in job advertisements. However if the job requires the use of a criteria which may be perceived as discriminatory e.g. a language requirement then an explanation should be included in the advertisement. The tripartite guidelines on fair employment practices provide some practical examples of how this can be done.

After sieving out the resumes, Recruitment Agencies will call and ASK for candidate's date of birth and marital status without any VALID reason! Seems that the govenment agency is purely Lip Service, without the capacity to enforce such unruly practices in Singapore. Why can't candidiates take these agencies into task and monitored with a public Blacklist?

Furthermore Tripartite Alliance started in year 2007. It has been 5 years but such condemnatory practices still exist? Does Singapore really need a SLOW government agency? Where is the Instant Tree mentality that PAP has shown?

2) MoM website:
Singapore is a meritocratic society and implementing fair and merit-based employment practices is the right thing to do.

But upon probing, agencies said that SOME Employers do NOT want older surbordinantes and hope to find candidates that can work long ie 20 years with them! This is discrimination clearly not based on the merit of candidates. Can't MoM shoot them once and for all so that it does not occur repeatedly? Why always only reduce the pain and symtoms without acting on the root of problem?

3) Awkward Mindset of Recruitment Agencies
Singapore is a develop country for many years but Recruitment Agencies still pursue a traditional and useless template for their clients! Hiring Managers or Reporting Heads from Japan, HK, Australia, USA. . . .etc prefer to see a profile of achievements, not age nor marital status! Agencies have been alluding themselves with lies to discriminate candidates.

MoM has failed to align the basic social values and PAP's direction for this nation. Without any LAW on this does not warrant a sit-back approach. It is time to sack the top grade Heads of Department now!

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Guest

5 Mar 2012, 1.21PM

actually these recruitment agencies and hr managers are just ticking the boxes. i recruit quite frequently and can say that the younger they are, the less likely they are to stay for long. so i do not understand this requirement to have lots of years ahead of them at an organisation.

also, i understand their mindset as well (not that i condone it). the fact is that if the hired candidate turns out bad, they can always point out that his credentials looked good, that's why they were hired. no one ever got chastised for hiring someone with princeton undergrad and harvard mba.

it is the same pervasive attitude at lots of levels in singapore organisations. don't take risk or your ***** will be on the line

Guest

5 Mar 2012, 1.45PM

"i recruit quite frequently and can say that the younger they are, the less likely they are to stay for long. so i do not understand this requirement to have lots of years ahead of them at an organisation."

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Yes, agreed, it is rather silly. Companies looking to hire temp staff and then ask for years of experience is one example. If the job is a short term one, or even 1, 2 or 3 years contract, it is most unreasonable to ask for years of experience or ask whether they will be staying with the company for long. The candidate is not going to know whether it is a rolling contract or not until the interview, and even then, the candidate tends only to be able to ask that towards the end of the interview.

Guest

5 Mar 2012, 4.31PM

absolutely correct. if you hire a 50 year old, he is likely to stay for 10+ years compared to a 25 year old. fact is a 25 year old has more opportunities and has his head turning at every opportunity. most of the 25-32 crowd at my office usually don't stay for more than 2 years

Guest

5 Mar 2012, 10.29PM

Tripartite Alliance sounds like a "More Nonsence" government bodies. If recruitment agencies regard government bodies as mere superficial policemen without guns, then citizens will not respect them either. In fact, just another agency to waste tax payers money.

Guest

6 Mar 2012, 3.01PM

It is common for agencies to ask if I am married or single.

1. If married, then they ask- How old because companies do not want employees to take ChildCare Leave.

2. If single- How old are they? Do you need to take them to the doctors, for annual check- up . . etc?

Gee. Singapore government says one thing but the Employers do another thing! I have been regularly discrimination for jobs due to my family members. This is absurd!

Singapore government is very poor in enforcement and driving changes.

Guest

6 Mar 2012, 8.31PM

These are irrelevant questions. Candidates have the right not to answer. Can we complain to MoM for them to take harsh action?

I mean there is no way to compete with cheaper foreigners! Now, how to compete with them as their parents are back home and do not need care at all???

(Guru)

KM-W

7 Mar 2012, 6.32PM

The basic criteria is whoever can give them the opportunity to get a bigger cut will get the job, period.....rest is just print-for-show....that's how they do business....right?

REACH Administrator

9 Mar 2012, 6.52PM

Dear Guest,

Thank you for your posting.

We refer to the posting to the thread titled "Recruitment Agencies NEVER want to Grow- up" on the REACH website dated 5 Mar 2012, 10.37AM. We have kept the relevant agencies informed on your feedback and they would like to contact you for more details on your feedback. Hence, we would appreciate it if you could provide us with your address and contact details via email to reach@reach.gov.sg for follow-up.

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards
Ling (REACH Administrator)