SINGAPORE - The Manpower Ministry (MOM) has set up a new department to probe complaints that bosses prefer foreigners instead of Singaporeans.

The Fair Consideration Department, headed by a director-level senior official, will also "engage firms across different industry sectors to better understand their human resource practices and efforts to develop Singaporeans professionals, executives and managers (PMEs)", the ministry said in a blog post on Thursday.

It made the announcement one day before new rules kick in on Friday, which require firms to consider Singaporeans for PME jobs before hiring foreigners. They are required to advertise in a government-run national jobs bank before they can apply for employment passes for foreigners to fill the vacancies.

The new rules, called the Fair Consideration Framework, is part of a broader move by the MOM to ensure that Singaporeans are given fair employment, promotion and training opportunities. It comes on the back of a slow-down in the inflow of foreign workers after Singaporeans complained that foreigners are taking away good-paying PME jobs from locals.