Attempting to deceive the Singapore government is like trying to watch just one episode of Ozark and going to sleep; it’s likely to end in failure.
Whether it’s engaging in drug activities or serving alcohol in innocent-looking teapots, the authorities have a knack for sniffing out illicit activities.
And when you’re caught, you can either own up to your mistakes or lie through your teeth.
The latter, while it might provide a brief respite, rarely ends well.
Startup Charged in Court For Lying That They’ve Considered Local Candidates When They Allegedly Didn’t
Just ask SensorFlow, a Singapore-based startup that lied to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The firm, which provides hotels with wireless Internet of Things solutions, allegedly lied when it submitted two Employment Pass applications to MOM last year for an engineering director and a price manager.
In the applications, SensorFlow said it had interviewed five applicants for the engineering director post – two of whom were Singapore citizens – and considered all the candidates fairly.
Except this was a lie.
It also said that the company fairly considered two Singapore citizens who were interviewed for the pricing manager job.
This was also a lie.
For falsely stating that it had fairly considered local job applicants before applying for work passes, SensorFlow faces two charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
If convicted, the firm can be fined up to $20,000 for each charge. They are expected back in court on 13 Oct.
Stiffer Penalties for Offending Companies
Thanks to amendments made to the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) in Jan 2020, errant employers now face stiffer penalties for unfair hiring practices.
If convicted, the authorities could revoke work pass privileges for a longer duration of up to two years.
But what exactly counts as an unfair hiring practice?
For one, companies who hire foreigners over a Singaporean without considering the merits of the latter are committing an offence as it’s considered discriminatory, even if the foreigner was pre-selected.
Firms are also not allowed to assume that certain positions are unlikely to be taken up by Singaporeans and not interview any locals as a result.
According to TODAY, if a company has an inordinately high share of foreign PMETs, the firm will be placed on MOM’s watchlist.
Moreover, before a company can even apply for an employment pass to hire a foreigner, they have to advertise their job posting on www.MyCareersFuture.sg – a government portal – for 14 days first.
They are obliged to consider all applicants fairly before applying for such a pass.
In August, MOM placed 47 companies on its watchlist for what they suspected to be discriminatory hiring practices.
The ministry said it will not hesitate to take action against errant employers, especially during this trying time.
“MOM does not tolerate unfair hiring practices, and employers who do not give locals a fair chance in hiring and promotion will face scrutiny and stiff penalties if found to have unfair hiring practices”.
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