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The second richest country per capita became the latest to pass a workplace discrimination law earlier this month.
Where in the world? Singapore’s parliament passed the Workplace Fairness Act, Bloomberg reported, prohibiting employers from discriminating against workers based on “age, nationality, sex, marriage status, pregnancy, care-giving duties, race, religion, language, disability, and mental health issues.” The bill tries to strike a balance between protecting workers and job applicants, and accommodating employers, according to its authors.
Small businesses with fewer than 25 employees have five years to comply with the law, but are expected to be fair and inclusive in the meantime, the authors said. They recommend collaboration between the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices and the Institute for Human Resources Professionals so HR leaders have the resources they need to implement the law.
“This silent killer—workplace discrimination—can infect and weaken the very fabric of our society,” Fahmi Aliman, a member of the People’s Action Party, said during deliberations.
Members of parliament said that this is just one step toward reducing workplace discrimination and that more efforts will be necessary, the Straits Times reported. A secondary law is expected later this year.
Satellite view. More than 20% of the 193 United Nations (UN) countries do not have expressed racial discrimination laws, according to 2023 research from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). While 107 countries have racial or ethnic discrimination laws, employers are not required to take steps to prevent discrimination. Women have even fewer workplace protections and are guaranteed equal pay in less than half of UN countries, including the US.
“Discrimination at work persists across countries, but there is powerful evidence that anti-discrimination laws can make a difference,” Jody Heymann, public health professor at UCLA and co-author of the paper, said.