Most employers assume workplace discrimination means something obvious — refusing to interview someone because of their race, or asking a candidate outright if they’re pregnant. If that’s not happening at your company, it’s tempting to assume your hiring process is fine.
TAFEP’s own guidelines suggest otherwise. A lot of the language and fields that get flagged aren’t dramatic. They’re ordinary phrases and form fields that show up in Singapore hiring processes every day, used by employers who have no idea they’re on the list — across three stages: the job ad, the application form, and the interview.
Stage 1: What TAFEP Actually Flags in Job Ads
The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices require that job ads select candidates based on merit — skills, experience, ability to do the job — not age, race, gender, religion, marital status, family responsibilities, or disability. That part isn’t surprising. What’s worth checking is how specific the “don’t” list gets.
On age, TAFEP’s own examples flag phrases like “Minimum aged 21 and above,” “Below 30 only,” and even “Young/Youthful working environment” as things you should not state — unless the age requirement comes from an actual legal or regulatory rule, in which case you can say so directly.
On nationality, the list is longer than most employers expect. TAFEP explicitly flags:
- “Non-Singaporeans/foreigners/international candidates preferred, welcome, or only”
- Naming a specific nationality in a job title, like “Italian chef preferred”
- “EP/S Pass/WP/DP/LTSVP Holders preferred/welcome/only”
- “Work passes will be applied for successful candidates”
- “S Pass quota available”
- “Completed, are exempted from, or are not liable for National Service”
That last one catches a lot of employers off guard. Referencing NS status in a job ad is common enough that most companies wouldn’t think twice about it — but it’s on TAFEP’s own list of what not to state.
Stage 2: The Application Form Has Its Own Blind Spots
Even if the job ad is clean, the application form candidates fill out afterward often isn’t — and this is the stage most companies check the least, because it’s usually a template nobody has revisited in years.
TAFEP’s guidance is direct: remove fields on age, gender, race, religion, marital status, family responsibilities, and disability. All fields asking candidates to declare a mental health condition should be removed entirely — there’s no “state your reason” exception for this one.
Two fields worth checking specifically:
- NRIC number. TAFEP flags this because an NRIC reveals a person’s age. If you need identity verification during the application stage, use something else — a passport number, for instance — and only request the NRIC at the point of job offer, or state clearly why you need it earlier.
- Photographs and National Service liability. Both should be removed from the application form itself. If you genuinely need either, TAFEP’s guidance is to request them at the job offer stage, not before.
If your company’s application form still has a photo upload field or asks for an NRIC number upfront, it’s worth checking whether that’s actually necessary — or just left over from a template nobody’s updated.
Stage 3: The Same Rule Applies to Interview Questions
TAFEP’s guidelines don’t stop at paperwork. The same principle — ask only what’s related to the candidate’s ability to do the job — applies to what you say out loud in the room.
For a straightforward role like Project Manager, TAFEP’s own comparison is direct:
You can ask: How did you handle some of your past projects? How did you contribute to the outcomes achieved? Why do you think you’re suitable for this position?
You should not ask: How old are you? What is your race and religion? Are you married? Are you planning to have children soon? Do you have any disabilities?
Most hiring managers wouldn’t ask the second list directly. But it’s worth checking whether a “getting to know you” question is quietly doing the same thing — asking about a candidate’s family plans “just to understand their availability,” for instance, covers the same ground TAFEP is flagging.
What a Compliant Process Actually Looks Like
TAFEP’s guidance points to a few concrete habits across all three stages, not just a list of banned words and fields:
- Selection criteria should be written down and applied consistently for every candidate — not decided informally per interview.
- Every application form field should trace back to an actual job requirement. If a field wouldn’t help you evaluate someone’s ability to do the job, it probably shouldn’t be there.
- If you genuinely need sensitive information — a dress code requirement, a religious accommodation limit, an NRIC number before offer stage — TAFEP’s guidance is to explain the job-related reason clearly and sensitively, not avoid the topic or assume it’s understood.
- Keep a record of the interview, assessment, and job offer for at least a year. This protects your company as much as the candidate — a documented, criteria-based process is your best answer if a hiring decision is ever questioned.
Worth a Second Look
None of this requires overhauling how you hire. It requires a straightforward pass over three things you probably haven’t looked at closely in a while: your current job ad template, your application form, and your standard interview questions — checked against language and fields you might not have thought to question. Nationality-related wording in job ads and NRIC/photo fields on application forms are two of the most common blind spots, precisely because they’ve become normal in Singapore hiring without anyone re-checking whether they’re actually compliant.
If any of these three haven’t been revisited in a few years, it’s worth checking them against TAFEP’s current guidelines before they’re used again.
Not sure whether your job ads, application forms, or interview process would hold up against TAFEP’s guidelines? Get in touch — we’re happy to help you review them.
