Recent employment law changes in Singapore: data protection, employment act and paternity leave

Three key changes have recently taken place in the field of employment in Singapore.  Firstly, the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act of 2012, Act 26 of 2012 (PDPA) was enacted at the end of 2012 and parts relating to the administration of the PDPA came into force on 2 January 2013. The main data protection rules will take effect in mid-2014. There are also specific exemptions which apply in relation to personal data which has been collected in relation to employment. Penalties for breach of the PDPA can be severe including fines of up to SGD1 million. Secondly, employment protections under the Employment Act, Chapter 91 of Singapore (EA) are expected to be extended to a broader category of employees and additional protections have been proposed following a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) public consultation process which will be conducted in two phases. Phase One of the process commenced at the end of 2012 and was concluded in March 2013. Phase Two of the process commenced in July 2013 and the MOM has requested for the public's views by 30 October 2013. Thirdly, eligible fathers in Singapore with babies who are Singapore citizens born on or after 1 May 2013 are entitled to take one week of paid paternity leave. In addition, they may be able to ‘share’ one week of the mother’s 16 weeks of paid maternity entitlement, subject to eligibility and the mother’s agreement. The provisions relating to paternity leave can be found in the Child Development Co-Savings Act, Chapter 38A of Singapore.

In the following e-bulletin that we recently published, Steve Smith, Kwok Hon Yee, Bronwyn Sullivan, Christopher Cheung, Cui Xian Yap and Georgia Leonhardt discuss the details.