Prohibiting Employer Requests for Last-drawn Salary Information during Recruitment to Promote Fair Wage Practices

Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider prohibiting employers from requesting last-drawn salary information during recruitment to promote wage determination based on skills and role requirements, prevent anchoring and indexing of offers to prior pay, and mitigate disadvantages from unfavourable starting salaries.

Dr Tan See Leng: The Ministry of Manpower does not plan to prohibit employers from requesting last-drawn salary information during recruitment. Such information may be relevant for employers to gauge a candidate's seniority or to make an appropriate offer. However, employers who rely heavily on prior pay may risk overlooking strong candidates by anchoring offers to pay levels that do not reflect current skills. Jobseekers are not obliged to disclose their past salaries and may negotiate compensation based on their skills, experience and the demands of the role.