Complaints about language discrimination in job applications on downtrend: TAFEP
SINGAPORE: When Jasmine (not her real proper noun), went for an interview for a inferior marketing role at a major tourist attraction in Singapore, she expected to answer questions virtually her work experience and qualifications.
Instead, Jasmine, who speaks English and Hindi, was asked to interpret an English language paragraph into Mandarin.
When she told her interviewers that she simply spoke English language and Hindi, but not Standard mandarin, they said she could just phone call her friends during the interview to become help.
"I ended up copying hanyu pinyin from a friend's text, who helped me interpret information technology. Needless to say, I didn't get the role," Jasmine told CNA.
"What I never understood was how they could invite me to this 'prestigious' interview with no mention of needing to be expert in Mandarin," she said, adding that it was also not indicated in the job listing or hiring processes leading up to the interview.
While language discrimination complaints proceed to be at the workplace, the number has decreased over the years, according to the Tripartite Brotherhood for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP).
In a argument to CNA, TAFEP said complaints about alleged workplace discrimination related to language have been on a downward trend in the last five years. These complaints involved discriminatory job advertisements, interview processes, and Hr practices, TAFEP said.
Information technology received a total of 113 complaints on the affair between 2022 and 2018, with 31 cases in 2022 and fifteen in 2018, said TAFEP.
Addressing concerns about chore advertisements or interviews that may state preferred languages, TAFEP said: "The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices require employers to hire on the basis of merit and not use language equally a limiting criterion during selection or recruitment.
"If the chore requires the employee to utilize a specific language, the employer should justify how this benchmark would utilise, and touch the ability of the employee to perform the job."
TAFEP's statement comes after a recenta survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and OnePeople.sg that revealed that the proportion of Malay and Indian respondents who said they felt discriminated against when applying for jobs has increased since 2013.
In the survey, a large proportion of minorities - 73 per cent of Malays, 68 per cent of Indians and about half of Others, which includes Eurasians - felt that they had experienced discrimination when it came to applying for a chore.
In contrast, 38 per cent of Chinese respondents felt that way, according to the enquiry findings.
The paper likewise found that lxxx.2 per cent of Chinese respondents indicated that language was sometimes important, important nearly of the time or e'er of import when hiring someone to work for them. The figures for Malay and Indian respondents were significantly lower at 71.five per cent and 73.ii per cent respectively.
IPS researcher Dr Mathew Mathews, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy told CNA that in a task environment where the bulk of workers are more comfortable using a certain language, there might exist an involvement to hire those who speak the language.
"There is a sense that when people speak the same language, anybody understands each other improve and there will be less misunderstanding. However this can lead to a preference to but recruiting people who are similar, and excluding others who tin legitimately contribute," he added.
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THE Linguistic communication Barrier
Nicole (not her real proper noun), another recent graduate who speaks English and Tamil told CNA that while interning at one of the big four police force firms, a senior lawyer said to her: "If you want to make it in the litigation do in Singapore, learn Standard mandarin."
Nicole highlighted that the senior lawyer who advised her had skillful intentions, but it also made her realise she might have to learn Standard mandarin to do well in her field.
"It's not really a requirement for the job, just yous realise that maybe I can't practise my task well because I'chiliad express by not knowing their language," she added.
"It's not that I can never help Chinese clients, but 75 per cent of the Singapore population is Chinese. There are going to be times when people slip into Mandarin, and so yous just have to be prepared to risk that you might not be able to assist the bulk of your clients coming through."
Nicole noted that this does not mean that those who speak Mandarin at work are racially biased or racist. "Frustrations come in the mother tongue. It happens to all of us, especially the older generation."
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DISCRIMINATION HARMS MERITOCRACY, MULTIRACIALISM
Sociologist Tan Ern Ser said he believes the findings of the IPS survey are statistically significant.
"Statistically speaking, there are reasons to doubtable that Chinese are indeed more likely to give more weight to language and race, compared to not-Chinese."
Associate Prof Tan noted that this may be related to how companies in Singapore today still specify Mandarin as a "adept-to-have" or "recommended" skill for jobs even when information technology is not necessary.
"The discrimination could be related to the extent to which they believe they can trust or communicate with non-Chinese staff, and the extent to which their bulk Chinese customers would prefer to be served by a Chinese staff," he said.
"Such practices are harmful as they violate our cadre values of meritocracy and multiracialism, which means that minorities could be deprived of a job, despite having the right credentials."
COMPANIES NOW More than FOCUSED ON JOB REQUIREMENTS
Ms Eugenia Ng, associate director of Michael Page Singapore said the recruitment bureau has seen instances of clients requesting for Standard mandarin equally a recommended or required skill due to company culture or preference.
"This is oftentimes seen in the growing SMEs (modest and medium enterprises) looking to expand their regional presence," she added.
Nonetheless, she noted that in a more global economy, more organisations are also evolving to encourage leaders and employees to adopt the universal business linguistic communication - English.
"In fact, while there was a strong push for Standard mandarin speakers v years back, many organisations are now more focused on candidates with the necessary technical skills and diverse cultural sensation," added Ms Ng.
Unless the office requires for an employee to exist proficient in Standard mandarin, chore advertisements should only focus on technical skills and qualifications, said Ms Lim Chai Leng, manager of banking and financial services at recruitment agency Randstad Singapore.
"This demand only arises when the candidate is required to collaborate with clients or customers, suppliers and co-workers based in markets such as Prc or Taiwan, where Mandarin is used as the predominant linguistic communication," she added.
However, Randstad Singapore has also observed that candidates who are bilingual or multilingual tend to have a "slight advantage" as there could exist more than career progression bachelor inside the system said Ms Lim. This includes portfolio expansion to different countries in the region.
Experts also noted that Singapore often serves as the regional headquarters of many multinational companies with fewer operations based locally.
"Many of these organisations have a large percentage of the management squad or controlling stakeholders based in mainland China," said Ms Ng.
"Therefore, they seek candidates with Standard mandarin-speaking abilities to communicate effectively with their N Asian counterparts. Communist china still accounts for a big revenue size within APAC (Asia Pacific) for many multinationals," she added.
Outlining some examples of workplace discrimination, Dr Tan said: "If the power to speak Mandarin is not essential, and non-Chinese applicants with the right credentials are rejected, and so it is definitely bigotry.
"If it is essential, and Mandarin-speaking not-Chinese applicants, with the right credentials, are rejected because of their race, then here again is discrimination."
Employees who come across discrimination in the workplace are encouraged to approach TAFEP for advice and assist.
"For TAFEP to better aid these employees, they should place themselves, provide their contact details and specific details of the discriminatory practices that they have encountered," said the argument.
"This information is necessary for TAFEP to assess the instance, and ensure accountability, fairness and transparency in treatment the complaint, towards all parties. Where requested, TAFEP volition protect the confidentiality of all who come forward."
As for Nicole, she is looking to learn Mandarin to be better prepared for her career.
"For a person similar me who'southward in her mid-20s and wants to learn Mandarin, it's expensive. I've been looking for Standard mandarin lessons, and it comes to a ballpark figure of South$300 to S$500 per month. I'm one of the newer graduates, so that's a lot of money to put in immediately.
"Law graduates similar me also piece of work long hours, so it counts as actress time (non-Mandarin speakers) take to put in that maybe the bulk race doesn't have to call back about, because we have to better ourselves."
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