SEEK strengthens fair hiring commitment with new appointment

The Global Slavery Index estimates that there are six modern slavery victims for every 1,000 people in the Asian countries where SEEK operates in — Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

This is equivalent to 2.9 million men, women, and children living in modern slavery in the region .

Peter Bithos, CEO of Asia, SEEK, shared, “As an organization that aims to improve millions of lives through better careers, we have a responsibility to ensure our marketplace is a safe, digital environment for job seekers across the region, and we take this seriously. We are committed to providing trusted and valid platforms for workers to find decent jobs and for employers to hire ethically, safeguarding against the risk of modern slavery in advertising job opportunities that could be deceptive in recruiting for forced labour. We’ve been conducting an APAC-wide search to find an executive who can be fully dedicated to this issue and spearhead our efforts for some time. Bringing Scott into our team is only the beginning of our continuous, long-term effort to help end pockets of slavery in the region.” 

In his role, Scott will be responsible for identifying risks and vulnerabilities in SEEK’s processes and platforms that could be exploited by unscrupulous actors, and work with the relevant teams to address them.

He will champion initiatives that can help provide job seekers with clarity and awareness of their rights and warnings about known unfair hiring practices, particularly affecting migrant, manual, and domestic workers so that candidate interactions with SEEK’s employment platforms result in safe and fair employment outcomes.

Scott will also be accountable for leading broader initiatives with partners and governments across the region to promote fair-hiring practices with the long-term aspiration to end modern slavery in all its forms. 

Scott will report to Michele Manigart, Chief Strategy Officer of Asia.

Commenting on his appointment, Michele said, “We are delighted to welcome Scott to SEEK, and we believe he will be instrumental in advancing our commitment to fair hiring in Asia. SEEK will not only benefit from his experience and deep understanding of the region’s labour rights and issues, but also from his clear passion for human rights and strong desire to make real impact in this area.”

Scott said, “I have always believed that forced labour and unfair hiring are solvable world problems. The progress we have seen in the last nine years has shown this to be true, but these are deeply ingrained issues that require regionwide market intervention over a sustained period of time. SEEK’s platforms make us uniquely well positioned to drive this change. I couldn’t be more excited to work with Michele, Peter, and the team to guide this effort!”

Aiming to support and strengthen fair hiring in Thailand, Duangporn Promon, Managing Director of Jobs DB Recruitment (Thailand) Limited, said, "The appointment of Seek Asia's Special Advisor of Fair Hiring strengthens the company's commitment in doing business in a way that respects job seekers' rights. In Thailand, we constantly raise awareness in the job platform industry. JobsDB communicated and educated entrepreneurs about equal employment opportunities in the previous year. As a result, some entrepreneurs understand and begin to adjust the recruitment policy to collaborate in looking beyond social discrimination and providing potential job seekers with opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. This year, the emphasis is on the job seeker's Fundamental Rights, which the employer should respect. Fair labour practices under human rights principles outlined in Labor Law, and compensation and benefits are also included. We believe that fair hiring is a success factor that increases the value of the business and improves its competitiveness, resulting in sustainable business growth.”