Singapore’s Workplace Fairness Act has now cleared both legislative stages, the core Act passed Parliament in January 2025, and the Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill passed in November 2025, completing the framework. It’s expected to take effect by the end of 2027, which means there’s a defined runway before enforcement begins, not an immediate deadline.
What actually changes
The Act turns what’s currently guidance, the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, into enforceable law. In practice, this means hiring, appraisal, and dismissal decisions will need to be backed by documented, objective criteria, rather than relying on informal judgment that was never required to be written down.
Why “you have until 2027” isn’t the same as “nothing to do now”
The runway exists specifically so companies can build documentation habits before they’re legally required, not so the topic can be set aside until closer to the deadline. Retrofitting proper hiring and appraisal documentation across a company that’s never had to keep it is a bigger task than building the habit gradually starting now.
What’s worth starting on
Documented, criteria-based hiring decisions rather than informal judgment calls. Written appraisal criteria applied consistently, not decided case by case. A basic record of the reasoning behind dismissal decisions, kept as they happen rather than reconstructed if ever questioned later.
None of this needs to be elaborate yet, the framework’s specific documentation requirements aren’t finalized down to the last detail but building the underlying habit now means the eventual formal requirement is a smaller adjustment rather than a scramble.
Where this sits relative to what we do
This is primarily an HR and employment law matter rather than an accounting or company secretarial one, so it sits slightly outside our core services, but it affects the same SMEs we work with, and it’s worth having on your radar alongside your other 2026 to 2027 compliance planning, particularly if you’re already thinking about payroll and CPF changes taking effect in the same window.