The Workplace Fairness Act Singapore 2025 was passed by Parliament on 8 January 2025 — but its full commencement is not expected until the end of 2027. That two-year gap is not a reason for HR teams to defer action. It is a window to restructure hiring practices, update employment contracts, implement grievance procedures, and train managers before the law carries legal teeth. Employers who begin now will be compliant on day one. Those who wait may face penalties, reputational damage, and a frantic scramble to update policies under deadline pressure.
This guide covers everything Singapore employers need to know: what the WFA prohibits, who is protected, what you must put in place, the penalties for non-compliance, and the practical steps your HR team should be taking today.
What Is the Workplace Fairness Act and When Does It Commence?
The Workplace Fairness Act 2025 is Singapore’s first standalone piece of anti-discrimination employment legislation. Prior to the WFA, Singapore’s approach to workplace fairness was advisory-led — the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) published guidelines, investigated complaints informally, and worked with employers through persuasion and the threat of work pass restrictions. The WFA changes that model fundamentally: for the first time, victims of workplace discrimination will have enforceable legal rights, including the ability to seek remedies through the new Workplace Fairness Tribunal (WFT) and, in serious cases, the Employment Claims Tribunals or the courts.
The first bill, covering the core anti-discrimination obligations, was passed on 8 January 2025. The second bill, covering dispute resolution processes and the Workplace Fairness Tribunal, was passed in November 2025. Both bills are available on Singapore Statutes Online. Commencement is expected by end-2027, with a phased approach likely for smaller employers.
Key compliance timeline:
- January 2025: Core WFA bill passed.
- November 2025: Dispute resolution bill passed.
- Expected commencement: End-2027 (subject to official gazette notification).
- Small employer exemption: Employers with fewer than 25 employees will initially be partially exempt, with a review within five years post-commencement.
Workplace Fairness Act Singapore 2025: The 11 Protected Characteristics
The WFA protects employees and job applicants against discrimination on the basis of 11 characteristics:
- Age
- Nationality
- Sex
- Marital status
- Pregnancy status
- Caregiving responsibilities
- Race
- Religion
- Language ability
- Disability
- Mental health condition
The breadth of this list is significant. Age discrimination — which has historically been a feature of Singapore’s employment market, particularly in mid-career hiring — is now squarely in scope. Nationality discrimination, including the practice of advertising roles that preference candidates of a particular nationality (a practice that already contravenes the Fair Consideration Framework), is explicitly protected. The inclusion of mental health condition as a protected characteristic is a landmark development that will require employers to revisit performance management processes and medical leave policies.
Discrimination is unlawful across all employment stages: recruitment, promotion, training, performance reviews, and dismissal.
Core Employer Obligations Under the WFA
1. Merit-Based Recruitment
Job advertisements must not contain criteria — express or implied — that reference protected characteristics unless a genuine occupational requirement exception applies. Phrases such as “candidates below 40 preferred”, “Mandarin-speaking required” (unless the role genuinely requires Mandarin proficiency), or any gender or nationality preference are prohibited. Employers should audit all current job advertisement templates against the WFA criteria before commencement.
Singapore Employment Agency’s guide on employment contract clauses and their implications in Singapore covers related hiring documentation obligations that intersect with the WFA’s recruitment requirements.
2. Written Internal Grievance Procedure
Under Section 27 of the WFA, all employers (subject to the small-employer exemption) must maintain a written grievance procedure that meets the following requirements:
- The employer commits to inquire into every grievance raised by an employee alleging discrimination on a protected characteristic.
- The employee must be informed of the outcome in writing.
- Written records of each inquiry must be maintained for a specified period.
- Grievance-related information — including the identity of the employee raising the complaint — must not be disclosed except where reasonably necessary.
Mediation through the Tripartite Mediation Framework is a required step before an employee may bring a WFT claim or Employment Claims Tribunal proceedings. Employers who have a functioning internal grievance procedure — and who can demonstrate that they took the complaint seriously — are better positioned in mediation.
3. Anti-Retaliation
The WFA expressly prohibits retaliation against employees who raise a WFA complaint, assist in an investigation, or give evidence in WFT proceedings. Retaliation includes demotion, reduction in remuneration, undesirable changes to working conditions, and dismissal. Employers must ensure that line managers and supervisors understand that retaliatory action will itself constitute a separate breach.
4. Genuine Occupational Requirement Exception
The WFA permits discrimination where a protected characteristic is a genuine and necessary requirement for the job — for example, a religious institution requiring employees of a particular faith for certain roles, or a role that requires a specific language skill genuinely needed for the work. These exceptions are narrow and must be defensible. Employers relying on a genuine occupational requirement should document the business rationale clearly.
WFA Penalties: What Employers Face for Non-Compliance
The WFA introduces meaningful financial and criminal penalties for employers who breach their obligations:
- Corporate entities: SGD 5,000 for a first breach; SGD 10,000 for subsequent breaches.
- Individuals (including directors and managers who direct the discriminatory act): A fine of SGD 2,500 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both.
Beyond the direct financial penalties, employers found to have breached the WFA may be referred to MOM for work pass restrictions — a significant operational consequence for businesses that rely on foreign talent. Companies on the Fair Consideration Framework Watch List already face scrutiny of all EP applications; a WFA finding would compound that exposure considerably.
Interaction with Existing TAFEP Guidelines and the Fair Consideration Framework
The WFA does not replace the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices or the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) administered by MOM. Both continue to operate. The WFA adds enforceable legal rights on top of the advisory framework.
For employers managing Employment Pass applications, the FCF job advertisement requirement (28 days on MyCareersFuture, fair consideration of Singaporean candidates) remains a separate and continuing obligation. The WFA’s nationality protection adds a parallel layer: even for roles that are exempt from FCF advertising requirements, discriminating against a candidate purely on the basis of nationality without a genuine occupational justification will be unlawful under the WFA.
For context on how these compliance obligations interact with EP and S Pass hiring strategy, our guide on employer of record and PEO arrangements in Singapore covers the legal employer framework within which these obligations apply.
Practical Steps for HR Managers: What to Do Now
With commencement expected by end-2027, the preparation window is real but not unlimited. Here is a practical action checklist.
Audit Job Advertisement Templates
Review every current job advertisement template for references — express or coded — to age, gender, nationality, marital status, or other protected characteristics. Update them to focus on qualifications, skills, and experience. Remove phrases like “recent graduate” (age proxy), “dynamic young team” (age proxy), or “native Mandarin speaker” unless genuinely required.
Train Hiring Managers
Every person involved in recruitment decisions needs to understand the 11 protected characteristics and the prohibited categories of questions and criteria. This includes not just HR but line managers, panel interviewers, and anyone who conducts a screening call. Document the training.
Draft and Implement a Written Grievance Procedure
If you do not have a written grievance procedure that covers discrimination complaints specifically, create one now. It must include the inquiry commitment, written outcome notification, record-keeping, and confidentiality protections required by Section 27. Have it reviewed by employment counsel familiar with the WFA.
Review Employment Contracts
Ensure that employment contracts do not contain provisions that could be interpreted as requiring or permitting discrimination. Review termination clauses, performance management procedures, and any provisions that reference personal characteristics. Our overview of employee benefits and workplace culture in Singapore provides a useful baseline for the broader employment terms context.
Update the Board
WFA compliance is a governance matter. The board or equivalent oversight body should be briefed on the WFA obligations, the compliance timeline, and the steps management is taking. Minutes of the briefing provide useful evidence of institutional awareness and good faith.
LBEA’s HR Compliance Support
Little Big Employment Agency (LBEA) is a MOM-licensed employment agency (Licence No. 19C9790) that supports Singapore employers across the full spectrum of employment compliance — from work pass applications to HR policy review. As the Workplace Fairness Act approaches commencement, our advisory team can help you assess your current policies, identify gaps, and implement the changes required to be fully compliant from day one.
For broader corporate compliance, governance, and secretarial support — including board briefings and policy documentation — our sister firm Raffles Corporate Services provides comprehensive Singapore corporate services.
Contact Singapore Employment Agency today to discuss your WFA preparation. The two-year window is genuinely valuable — use it.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency