The Employer’s Guide to Background Check Compliance in Singapore

The Ministry of Manpower (MoM) has made it clear that Singapore takes employment integrity seriously, revoking work passes, imposing permanent bans, and even handing out jail sentences to individuals who submit fraudulent qualifications. 

In 2021, the MoM reported that two work pass holders were jailed for submitting fake diplomas. Their passes were revoked, they were permanently barred from employment in Singapore, and investigations revealed over 20 similar cases. On top of that, MoM shared that an average of 660 individuals per year are caught attempting to use fake educational qualifications when applying for work passes. While not all result in prosecution, every offender faces permanent employment bans. 

This is where a background check for employment plays a vital role: they help employers identify unqualified candidates, make informed hiring decisions, while ensuring compliance with local regulations such as the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and MoM requirements. 

Ultimately, background screening is not just a best practice but an employer’s responsibility. As Manpower Minister Tan See Leng has underscored, organizations are accountable for verifying the authenticity of their candidates’ qualifications before making a hire. 

While many companies engage third-party background screening companies to support this process, the key challenge is ensuring that background check Singapore integrate seamlessly into your existing HR workflows without impacting efficiency or compliance. In this article, we dive into the importance of background check Singapore, share tips for choosing background check companies, and explain how Omni can support you throughout the entire process. 

Why Background Check Compliance Is a Growing Challenge for Employers in Singapore

Singapore’s diverse workforce offers significant opportunities, but it also comes with its unique set of compliance complexities that employers cannot ignore. At the core of these challenges lie the regulations set by the Ministry of Manpower (MoM), which aims to strengthen safeguards against issues like diploma fraud.

Ministry of Manpower (MoM)

As mentioned above, MoM reported that over the last five years, an average of 660 foreigners per year were permanently barred from employment in Singapore for submitting fake education qualifications in their work pass applications. To address this, MoM regularly updates its guidelines to verify educational credentials and ensure integrity.

Read next: Understanding the Singapore Employment Act

One of these measures includes the requirement for employers to submit verification of qualifications in support of certain work pass applications. You can secure this document from third-party background check companies recognized by the MoM, ensuring all checks are consistent, legitimate, and compliant with regulations.

Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)

The PDPA regulates the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data in Singapore. Over the past decade, government efforts have strengthened protections, making PDPA compliance for background check Singapore more comprehensive than ever.

Employers must obtain explicit consent from applicants before running a background check Singapore and ensure the data collected is relevant to the purpose of the check, in this case, the role and job scope.

You must ensure data is secure, accurate, and protected from unauthorized access or disclosure, and destroy it compliantly once it has fulfilled its business or legal purposes. Applicants should be informed about the purpose of data collection, how it will be used, and any disclosures. They must also be allowed to access their data and correct any inaccuracies. 

Learn more: How HRIS Supports Employee Data Management

The takeaway

Navigating the ever-changing MoM and PDPA regulations means employers must take a thorough and compliant approach to background check for employment. Naturally, you can leave it up to background screening companies to handle that process. However, while third-party background check Singapore companies can handle verification, the greater challenge is integrating these checks seamlessly into your internal hiring workflow.

The question is: how can you fit the outsourced background check Singapore in a way that is both efficient and compliant, while still supporting a smooth and efficient candidate experience? Solving this ensures you not only meet regulatory obligations but also build a workforce that can perform at its best.

What to Know Before Choosing a Background Check Provider

When you’re considering various options for background check companies, you want to consider your company's needs and the service provider's offerings. For your company's needs, you should know the different types of background checks. Then, you should determine the type that suits your open positions.

As for the potential background check Singapore companies, you should learn about the following aspects of their practices:

• Local expertise: A vendor should be well-versed in background check Singapore compliance requirements and changing regulations.
• Compliance with federal, state, and local regulations: Their background check Singapore practices should comply with relevant laws.
• Data privacy: Strict security and data privacy regulations protect the information of your candidates and keep your hiring practices compliant.
• Data access: Access to comprehensive databases and verification sources provides vendors with the input needed for you to make informed hiring decisions.
• Typical turnaround time: How long does the company take to run checks? The typical turnaround time ranges from 12 hours to 15 days.
• Reporting formats: The formats used by background screening companies to report applicant background check Singapore results should be consistent and standardized.
• Customization options: Customization helps meet industry-specific requirements or accommodate your organizational hiring policies.
• Policies regarding challenging reports: Does the service follow up on drug tests and handle the trickier aspects of background checks? Does this cause holdups?
• Integration: You want background check companies that integrate seamlessly with your chosen HRIS platform.
• Support type: Is it a single support channel for all clients, from which you’re directed to an expert, or do you get a designated customer support specialist who becomes familiar with your business, facilitating long-term support?
• Dispute rate: A dispute rate is the average number of legitimate disputes that have been filed against the vendor after flagging their applications, compared to the total number of conducted background checks. It should be under 1%.
• All-inclusive prices: Pricing should be straightforward without hidden fees.
• Reviews and ratings: Refer to reviews, ratings, and references to evaluate the client experience.

Let’s say you engage one of the background search companies that fit your criteria. They conduct the checks and deliver the results—what’s next? Without the right systems in place, those results can easily sit in silos, making it difficult to manage them efficiently or ensure compliance.

How Omni Empowers Compliant and Streamlined Background Check Singapore Workflows

That’s where an all-in-one HR platform like Omni comes in. Our centralized document management system makes it easy for teams to store background check results, apply multi-role access controls, and safeguard sensitive information in line with PDPA requirements mentioned earlier. 

Secure and compliant data management

When conducting background check Singapore, the PDPA requires employers to protect sensitive data against unauthorized access or disclosure. With Omni, compliance is made simple with our centralized document management, which securely stores background check results, consent forms, and other sensitive employee records in one location. HR teams can even request employment checks directly through Omni, ensuring the process is streamlined and compliant since day one.

By consolidating everything, Omni not only safeguards information but also makes it easier to maintain a complete and compliant employee record. With multi-role access controls, HR teams can ensure that only authorized personnel handle confidential information, strengthening PDPA compliance while reducing risk. Beyond compliance, our database provides HR with a single source of truth for each employee, enabling smarter workforce decisions.

Automated hiring workflows

Beyond secure storage, Omni also integrates these employee background check Singapore results directly into your hiring workflows, allowing you to manage candidate information in one location, streamline processes, and automate routine tasks—helping your team stay compliant from start to finish.

‍

With custom recruitment workflows, where background check results are automatically reflected in real-time, triggering the next step, whether that be assigning review tasks to hiring managers or emailing employment contracts. This automation reduces manual work, speeds up decision-making, and minimizes the risk of delays or oversight.

“Once you have instituted it, it goes on autopilot. The next new hire that comes in gets added to the workflow, and that's it – everything is ready to run off autopilot through Omni.”
— Wenna Lee, HR Manager at IHRP

Learn how: IHRP simplifies compliant HR workflows with Omni

Seamless team collaboration

Hiring is a team effort. With Omni, hiring managers are automatically notified when background check results are ready, ensuring accountability and timely follow-ups. 

Tasks such as reviewing results, clearing candidates, or flagging concerns can be assigned directly on the platform, keeping everyone on the same page.

Real-time compliance oversight

Omni consolidates real-time data, giving you a clear view of how your background check processes measure against regulatory requirements. This visibility helps hiring teams identify potential bottlenecks early, close compliance gaps, and strengthen governance.

Final Tips for Building a Compliant Background Check for Employees

Implementing some efficient background check Singapore compliance practices can go a long way. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Set a clear policy

Establish a background check Singapore policy that defines clear and consistent procedures applicable to all candidates, outlines standardized actions for any adverse screening findings, and ensures compliance with relevant laws. Once your policy is in place, ensure it is properly documented, communicated to all relevant stakeholders, and supported with HR team training to ensure consistent adherence.

Establish fair evaluation procedures

When reviewing background check Singapore results, allow candidates the chance to explain any discrepancies and implement your policy consistently and fairly. Also, evaluate the background checks results concerning the role. For example, when you screen applicants for a financial position, it makes sense to look at their history of ethical conduct. This helps you assess whether the candidate can be trusted to handle sensitive financial data and assets, ensuring compliance while building client confidence.

Hire reliable background screening companies

A solid background screening company helps you stay compliant, delivers accurate background check Singapore data, and empowers you to make informed hiring decisions. The best background check companies should be able to integrate with your HR platform, creating a seamless and efficient hiring workflow.

Implement data security measures

When it comes to background check Singapore data, employers are obligated under PDPA to protect sensitive information. This means storing records in confidential files, applying customizable access controls to determine who can access this data, and implementing proper data retention and destruction practices.

Stay agile and adapt to regulatory changes

Singapore continues to strengthen safeguards against issues like diploma fraud and false resumes. Employers should stay alert and be prepared to adapt to any regulatory changes as they arise.

Some HR software solutions, like Omni, help by providing timely notifications about regulatory updates, keeping your business compliant without the hassle.

Partner with reliable HR services

Last but not least, partner with a reliable HR service provider. All-in-one software solutions like Omni ensure consistency and compliance tracking across your hiring process, making it easier to keep your hiring practices fully aligned with local requirements. 

Beyond background check Singapore compliance, Omni helps you securely store, retain, protect, and dispose of confidential data as needed. 

Simplify Background Check Singapore with Omni

As you now know, background check Singapore forms a critical part of building a compliant and trustworthy workforce. But between MoM regulations, PDPA obligations, and the need for efficiency, many Singapore businesses struggle to balance compliance with seamless hiring workflows. 

This is where Omni comes in, offering a centralized HR solution designed to make background check compliance simple, secure, and scalable. 

• A secure, centralized data management system that stores background check results, consent forms, and sensitive data in a unified location, with customizable access controls to prevent unauthorized access.
• An aligned process with local regulations that ensures data privacy, accurate record-keeping, and compliant destruction policies as required by the PDPA.
• Automated hiring workflows that trigger background checks at the right stage, update candidate status in real time, and assign review tasks to hiring managers. 
• Enterprise-grade security backed by AES-256 encryption and ISO27001 certification, protecting sensitive information from end-to-end.
• Dedicated local support within Singapore to guide you through the implementation process and beyond.

With Omni, managing background check Singapore is no longer a burden. Book a demo with our team today to learn how you can consolidate and optimize your HR processes.

Start your 7-day free trial