Weed out unscrupulous job agencies

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of recruitment agencies in the local market.

Some of these agencies are very unprofessional and unscrupulous.

Staff compromise their ethics in the pursuit of commissions. Some even instigate job seekers to ask for higher starting salaries irrespective of employment market conditions, so as to earn themselves a higher commission.

I suggest that the Ministry of Manpower devise and enforce an effective accreditation scheme so as to uphold the standards and integrity of this industry.

Simply possessing a registration licence does not suffice. Staff of these firms need to pass stringent tests before they are allowed to practise.

The objective of the accreditation scheme is also to sift out the less desirable recruitment firms. Job seekers would be able to assess these recruitment firms based on a series of gradings.

Operators of recruitment firms need to understand that they play a pivotal role in Singapore's tight labour market and in nation building.

Indeed, a complete overhaul of this industry is imperative and long overdue.

Letter by Teo Kok Seah

This article was first published on June 12, 2014.
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