Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Singapore
Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Singapore
08/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/01/2024 20:08
Employment Standards Remained High and Majority of Employment Claims Continued to be Resolved Amicably In 2023
Employment Standards Remained High and Majority of Employment Claims Continued to be Resolved Amicably In 2023
2 August 2024
In 2023, employment standards remained high, with incidence of employment claims and appeals below pre-COVID period. The majority of employment claims were concluded1 at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) within 2 months. Most employees and employers resolved disputes amicably, with more than 80% of claims resolved at TADM. Additionally, more than 90% of employees fully recovered their salaries and payments. 2 These are the key findings of the Employment Standards Report 2023 released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and TADM today. The report also highlights the launch of new digital services for effective dispute resolution and continued tripartite efforts to resolve employment disputes and promote fair and progressive workplace practices. The full report can be found on the MOM's website at go.gov.sg/esr2023.
Key Highlights
Incidence of employment claims and appeals increased, but remained lower than pre-COVID period
3 The overall incidence of employment claims and appeals increased from 1.97 in 2022 to 2.53 per 1,000 employees in 2023 but remained lower than the pre-COVID period (2019: 3.04 per 1,000 employees).
9 in 10 salary claims were concluded at TADM within 2 months
4 Similar to 2022, 90% of salary claims were concluded1 at TADM within 2 months. Employees and employers continued to resolve employment disputes amicably, with 88% of salary claims resolved at TADM, higher than 86% in 2022. The remaining 12% were referred to the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) for adjudication.
9 in 10 employees fully recovered their salaries with assistance from TADM and ECT
5 In 2023, TADM and ECT assisted 94% of the employees to recover their salaries in full, slightly higher than 93% in 2022. Less than 1% of the salary claims lodged in 2023 involved wilful employers who did not make full payment despite having the means to do so. These employers were investigated by MOM for potential Employment Act offences.
Majority of wrongful dismissal claims were resolved at TADM amicably despite a slight increase in incidence of wrongful dismissal claims
6 While the overall incidence of wrongful dismissal claims increased slightly from 0.26 in 2022 to 0.32 per 1,000 employees in 2023, majority (70%) of the cases continued to be resolved amicably at TADM. This is similar to 2022, where 69% were resolved at TADM, with the remaining referred to ECT.
7 Majority of the wrongful dismissal claims (79%) were concluded1 at TADM within 2 months. This was lower than 86% in 2022, due to the higher volume of cases, and mismatched expectations between employees and employers.
Enhancing the Dispute Resolution Process through Digitalisation and Creating Fair and Progressive Workplaces
8 In August 2023, TADM introduced the Employment Practices and Progressive Workplaces Shared Platform (EmPOWER), which provides end-to-end digital services and enables employees and employers to navigate the dispute resolution process efficiently. EmPOWER replaces the interim Online Dispute Resolution portal, which had less features. With EmPOWER, employees and employers now can resolve claims online amongst themselves without having to come physically to TADM. The new features include:
4 Similar to 2022, 90% of salary claims were concluded1 at TADM within 2 months. Employees and employers continued to resolve employment disputes amicably, with 88% of salary claims resolved at TADM, higher than 86% in 2022. The remaining 12% were referred to the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) for adjudication.
9 in 10 employees fully recovered their salaries with assistance from TADM and ECT
5 In 2023, TADM and ECT assisted 94% of the employees to recover their salaries in full, slightly higher than 93% in 2022. Less than 1% of the salary claims lodged in 2023 involved wilful employers who did not make full payment despite having the means to do so. These employers were investigated by MOM for potential Employment Act offences.
Majority of wrongful dismissal claims were resolved at TADM amicably despite a slight increase in incidence of wrongful dismissal claims
6 While the overall incidence of wrongful dismissal claims increased slightly from 0.26 in 2022 to 0.32 per 1,000 employees in 2023, majority (70%) of the cases continued to be resolved amicably at TADM. This is similar to 2022, where 69% were resolved at TADM, with the remaining referred to ECT.
7 Majority of the wrongful dismissal claims (79%) were concluded1 at TADM within 2 months. This was lower than 86% in 2022, due to the higher volume of cases, and mismatched expectations between employees and employers.
Enhancing the Dispute Resolution Process through Digitalisation and Creating Fair and Progressive Workplaces
8 In August 2023, TADM introduced the Employment Practices and Progressive Workplaces Shared Platform (EmPOWER), which provides end-to-end digital services and enables employees and employers to navigate the dispute resolution process efficiently. EmPOWER replaces the interim Online Dispute Resolution portal, which had less features. With EmPOWER, employees and employers now can resolve claims online amongst themselves without having to come physically to TADM. The new features include:
- An integrated chatbot that provides assessment and advice on employment matters, calculates claim amount, and assists claimants with filing of employment claims online.
- e-Negotiation2, where employees and employers can resolve disputes privately without undergoing mediation, has been enhanced with new digital tools such as guided questioning and e-calculators. From October to December 2023, 38% of eligible employment claims were resolved at e-Negotiation, higher than 32% via the interim Online Dispute Resolution portal.
- Online chatting, video conferencing and digital signing capabilities provide greater convenience and facilitates the dispute resolution process between employees, employers and mediators.
- Personalised dashboard that allows employees and employers to track the claim progress and take prompt actions.
9 We have also made progress in efforts to uphold workplace fairness and build progressive and harmonious workplaces. The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests fosters the adoption of progressive workplace practices, while the upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation will strengthen protections against workplace discrimination. To uplift lower-wage workers, MOM will continue to conduct checks to ensure employers' compliance with progressive wage requirements.
10 MOM will continue to educate employees and employers on employment rights through sharing good employment practices and encouraging employees to approach TADM for assistance on employment disputes. Together with the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), we remain committed to upholding employment standards through dispute resolution, education, and enforcement actions. We will continue to work closely with our tripartite partners - the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation - to build better workplaces through the adoption of fair and progressive workplace practices.
FOOTNOTE
- Cases that were concluded at TADM refer to cases that were resolved at TADM or were referred to the Employment Claims Tribunals for adjudication.
- e-Negotiation was officially launched in October 2023.