S'pore workplaces are inclusive, 69% say in youth survey

But one in three respondents has seen or experienced discrimination there

- Rosalind Ang

Business architecture specialist for technology Yap Qian Yin remembers being often excluded from lunches with colleagues and company activities held at places that are not wheelchair-friendly.

Ms Yap, a former Paralympian in her 30s, has been using a wheelchair since she was 17, after experiencing side effects from chemotherapy for leukaemia.

Job hunting was an uphill battle for her due to her disability.

It got to a point where she did not state her condition on the resume "as the response I got from prospective employers was bad", said Ms Yap, who graduated with a finance degree.

"Whenever I reached the interview stage of the job selection process and had to reveal that I'm a person with disability (PWD), employers would tell me that they would get back to me. And they never did," she said.

She is not alone in experiencing discrimination at the workplace.

Even though the majority of young people in Singapore (69 per cent) believe their workplace is inclusive, nearly one in three has witnessed or experienced discrimination at work, according to a new survey.

The workplace inclusivity survey polled 1,006 Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 18 to 43.

It was commissioned by The Straits Times and conducted by market research company Kantar in July 2024 to get people's views of the importance and perceptions of inclusivity in the workplace, as well as their experience with it.

Sixty-one per cent of the respondents defined inclusivity as equal treatment for everyone, regardless of gender, race, age and background; discrimination is minimised; and diversity is embraced.

One in five perceived inclusivity as recognition and validation of their efforts, while around the same number of people said it meant a supportive environment and collaborative communication.

When it comes to applying for jobs, over half of the respondents (56 per cent) said that inclusivity is an important consideration.