Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Grace Fu said human resource practitioners need to ensure a level playing field for Singaporeans, even as the country welcomes talent from abroad.
Speaking at the Singapore HR Awards on Friday night, she also said that Singaporeans should be given adequate development opportunities, and that employers should be mindful of hiring biases.
In addition, Ms Fu urged bosses to be culturally-sensitive in managing a diverse workforce and that efforts should go towards helping foreign employees understand local customs.
This will in turn create harmonious workplaces.
Ms Fu also said that companies’ practices should evolve to suit the changing profile of Singapore’s labour force, which is projected to have more mature workers in future.
She said: “The priority really is to make our workplace more family-friendly. Because it’s an important part, an important consideration for our young adults in setting up their life goals, family goals and so on. If they’re able to have a better balance, then the likelihood of them choosing family and balancing with work is higher, and we need to have that balance in our society.”
Ms Fu said there is also room for improvement when it comes to attracting women to participate in the labour force.
Source: channelnewsasia.com
