Ministry says AI discrimination covered by Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) can take action against employers who are using artificial intelligence to intentionally discriminate employees during hiring, according to MOM, as concerns grow worldwide on AI's potential recruitment biases.
MOM said discrimination by AI systems during hiring falls under the coverage of the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. It will also be covered by the upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation.
"If an employer intentionally uses AI to make a discriminatory decision, the affected employee will be protected from discrimination in the workplace and MOM can take action against the employer," the ministry told Parliament this week.
The remarks came after the ministry was asked about what safeguards are placed to ensure that employers' AI systems do not result in unfair or discriminatory hiring practices.
Recruitment biases
The inquiry reflects a growing global concern of AI's potential recruitment biases. In 2018, Amazon was caught in a scandal after it found that its AI recruitment tool favoured men for technical jobs.
In Singapore, even HR professionals are wary of AI's potential biases despite utilising them in their functions. A Hays survey released early this year found that nearly six in 10 employers in the state believe that AI-powered resume screening can be biased and requires addressing before being utilised.
MOM acknowledged that AI use in hiring and other HR-related decisions may "unintentionally result" to discriminatory outcomes.
"If certain AI systems result in discriminatory employment decisions, they can be reported to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, who will work with the employer to ensure that the use of such systems are in line with the principles of workplace fairness," MOM said.
The ministry has also rolled out measures, such as the Model AI Governance Frameworks, to guide businesses in the development and deployment of AI.
These measures aim to provide confidence that the "use of AI itself does not add to the risk of discrimination in the workplace," according to MOM.
Reducing AI bias in hiring
Experts have also been telling HR leaders the importance of having a "quality data set" to ensure that AI's biases during recruitment is mitigated.
Marc Burrage, Managing Director, Hays Asia, added that organisations have an "active role" in preparing for the growing implementation of AI within recruitment.
"This involves closely monitoring the inherent biases with their vendors and considering ethical considerations being addressed at the ASEAN level," Burrage said in a previous statement.
"Companies could leverage such strategic international collaboration to jointly and continually develop the necessary frameworks to adopt at a local level."
