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The Online Citizen
Mastercard seeks Hindi-speaking candidates to fill position based in Singapore
The Online Citizen by The Online Citizen 15 September 2020 2 min read
Global technology company Mastercard has recently advertise a job vacancy on its LinkedIn page, seeking for an individual to fill the Regional Director position under the company’s Open Banking Product Management team. According to the job advertisement, the vacancy was advertise about two weeks ago.
If we were to look through the position, we can see that this a new and important role as it enables “Mastercard to establish banking presence outside of the EEA (European Economic Area)”.
Given that this is a Regional Director position, Mastercard is seeking for an individual to design and execute the right strategy for “establishing open banking connectivity in key markets within the region” as well as “driving the localisation and deployment of selected global Mastercard Open Banking Solutions” – again within the region.
If that’s not all, other job requirements for this position include engaging with potential customers and partners within the region as well as liaise with internal colleagues and third party suppliers. The point to note here is that the job description implies that the job role heavily focuses in this region.
While everything listed under the job requirements seem appropriate for the position, however the company also seeks someone who has a good grasp in the Hindi language, in addition to being fluent in English.
Given that this position is based in Singapore, it is rather puzzling for Mastercard to look for someone who can speak Hindi as well.
Responding to TOC’s queries, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) said that it is looking into the matter and is in the process of obtaining more details from the company.
“All employers must abide by the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) when recruiting for Singapore-based jobs,” it said, adding that it takes discrimination practices very seriously.
“According to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, if a job entails proficiency in a particular language, other than English, employers have to justify the need for the requirement in the advertisement. This will ensure that the job requirements are well understood, expand the range of eligible candidates, and avoid negative perception of the employer concerned,” a TAFEP spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, “TAFEP takes a serious view of discriminatory practices, and will refer any breaches to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for appropriate actions to be taken against the employer”.
TOC has reached out to MOM and Mastercard on this matter and is yet to receive a response.
This is not the first time such discriminatory practice has been highlighted in Singapore. Recently, TOC reported a case in which a local company advertised a vacancy on Government job-matching portal, MyCareerFuture.sg, seeking for candidate who is either Westerner or European to fill a position based in Singapore.
For those who are not aware, MyCareerFuture.sg is a job portal initiated by the Government to provide Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents with a fast and smart job search service to match them with suitable jobs, based on their skills and competencies.
However, it allowed Ramo Industries—a Singapore-based firm that offers engineering, procurement and construction services—advertise on its portal for a Business Development Manager.
Mastercard seeks Hindi-speaking candidates to fill position based in Singapore
The Online Citizen by The Online Citizen 15 September 2020 2 min read
Global technology company Mastercard has recently advertise a job vacancy on its LinkedIn page, seeking for an individual to fill the Regional Director position under the company’s Open Banking Product Management team. According to the job advertisement, the vacancy was advertise about two weeks ago.
If we were to look through the position, we can see that this a new and important role as it enables “Mastercard to establish banking presence outside of the EEA (European Economic Area)”.
Given that this is a Regional Director position, Mastercard is seeking for an individual to design and execute the right strategy for “establishing open banking connectivity in key markets within the region” as well as “driving the localisation and deployment of selected global Mastercard Open Banking Solutions” – again within the region.
If that’s not all, other job requirements for this position include engaging with potential customers and partners within the region as well as liaise with internal colleagues and third party suppliers. The point to note here is that the job description implies that the job role heavily focuses in this region.
While everything listed under the job requirements seem appropriate for the position, however the company also seeks someone who has a good grasp in the Hindi language, in addition to being fluent in English.
Given that this position is based in Singapore, it is rather puzzling for Mastercard to look for someone who can speak Hindi as well.
Responding to TOC’s queries, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) said that it is looking into the matter and is in the process of obtaining more details from the company.
“All employers must abide by the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) when recruiting for Singapore-based jobs,” it said, adding that it takes discrimination practices very seriously.
“According to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, if a job entails proficiency in a particular language, other than English, employers have to justify the need for the requirement in the advertisement. This will ensure that the job requirements are well understood, expand the range of eligible candidates, and avoid negative perception of the employer concerned,” a TAFEP spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, “TAFEP takes a serious view of discriminatory practices, and will refer any breaches to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for appropriate actions to be taken against the employer”.
TOC has reached out to MOM and Mastercard on this matter and is yet to receive a response.
This is not the first time such discriminatory practice has been highlighted in Singapore. Recently, TOC reported a case in which a local company advertised a vacancy on Government job-matching portal, MyCareerFuture.sg, seeking for candidate who is either Westerner or European to fill a position based in Singapore.
For those who are not aware, MyCareerFuture.sg is a job portal initiated by the Government to provide Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents with a fast and smart job search service to match them with suitable jobs, based on their skills and competencies.
However, it allowed Ramo Industries—a Singapore-based firm that offers engineering, procurement and construction services—advertise on its portal for a Business Development Manager.
