Prohibiting Potential Employers from Requesting Personal Information Aligned with Workplace Fairness Act

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Acting Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry has considered, consistent with the Workplace Fairness Act when it comes into operation, making it illegal for potential employers to request age or marital status prior to a formal offer.

Under the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, employers should only ask for information relevant to assessing an applicant's suitability for a job. This applies to requests for personal information. If such information is requested prior to the point of job offer, employers should clearly inform the applicant why the information is relevant to assessing his or her suitability.

Employers which make adverse employment decisions based on protected characteristics would be in breach of the Workplace Fairness Act.