SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigated and took action against 150 firms last year for having discriminatory employment practices, said Minister of Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin on Tuesday.
Some of these firms were given stern warnings, while others had their work pass privilege curtailed for up to two years.
The ministry might also name and shame these employers, added Mr Tan, who was answering MP Foo Mee Har's Parliamentary question on whether MOM had tough penalties in place to deter companies from posting discriminatory job advertisements and unfairly replacing Singaporeans with foreigners.
Mr Tan brought up one example where it was found after investigations that Prime Gold International Ltd had unfairly replaced Singaporean employees with foreigners.
He noted that there had been a couple of high profile cases highlighted in the media recently and assured that his ministry "has looked into the cases will take the necessary action when investigations are completed".
MOM has also identified some firms with shortcomings in their human resource practices. The ministry also scrutinises their work pass applications closely, said Mr Tan.
He added that MOM takes a firm stance against discriminatory employment practicies and all employers are expected to consider Singaporeans fairly by complying with the Fair Consideration Framework and the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices.
"There is no place for employment discrimination in Singapore and the current penalties in place are sufficient to deter such practices," concluded Mr Tan.