Workplace Fairness Act (Singapore)

What the Act will cover

The protected characteristics: age, nationality, sex, marital status, pregnancy, caregiving responsibilities, race, religion, language ability, disability and mental health conditions, applied across the employment lifecycle from job advertisements and hiring through promotion, performance and dismissal. Employers must maintain a written grievance-handling process (inquire into complaints, respond in writing, keep records, protect confidentiality), and retaliation against complainants is prohibited.

What applies until end-2027

The Act is not in force as at mid-2026. Until commencement, the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices remain the operative standard, enforced through MOM's administrative levers, most sharply work-pass privileges. That enforcement path has real teeth for any employer that hires foreigners, which is most of Singapore's professional economy, so "the Act isn't in force yet" is not a holiday from fairness obligations; it is the runway to build the processes the Act will formalise.

Getting ahead of it sensibly

Two moves cover most of the ground. Make selection and promotion decisions on structured, documented, job-relevant criteria, because "we can evidence why" is the whole defence under any fairness regime. And stand up the grievance process early: small employers (the Act exempts those under 25 employees at commencement) may sit outside the letter of the law initially, but the tripartite guidelines still apply to them, and the exemption is already flagged for review.