Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Singapore (Ratification: 2002)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Assessing and addressing the gender pay gap. The Committee notes that the Government did not reply to the specific requests it made in its previous observation. It nevertheless acknowledges the Government’s efforts in addressing gender pay disparities through initiatives such as the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and public awareness campaigns led by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP). These guidelines emphasize fair remuneration based on ability, performance, and experience, and the introduction of Tripartite Standards on flexible work arrangements and other employment practices are noted as positive steps. The Committee notes the Government’s indication, in its report, that the unadjusted gender pay gap decreased from 16.3 per cent in 2018 to 14.3 per cent in 2023, while the adjusted gap, considering factors like occupation and education, narrowed from 6.7 to 6 per cent during the same period, with occupational segregation remaining a significant factor. Despite these efforts, the Committee notes the continuing gender wage disparities, particularly in sectors with high female concentration, and the challenges associated with caregiving responsibilities affecting women’s career progression. The Committee observes that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) recognized the increase in voluntary paternity leave from two to four weeks in 2024 but expressed concern about its limited uptake by fathers and the ongoing disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women, which impedes their economic participation (CEDAW/C/SGP/CO/6, 6 June 2024, paragraph 43). The Committee notes with concern the absence of specific legislative measures to enforce the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal “value”. The Committee therefore urges the Government to initiate legislative reforms in order to implement the Convention’s principle and to intensify efforts to address the root causes of the gender pay gap, including occupational segregation and gender stereotypes. Please provide information on the measures taken or envisaged in this regard. The Committee also requests the Government to provide updated statistical data on earnings disparities, disaggregated by sector and occupation, to evaluate progress and identify areas requiring further action.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.