Singapore to develop new ways to get elderly citizens to work longer
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 08 January 2009 1551 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Singapore will need to develop new arrangements to help the elderly work as long as they can.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said one such feature in place is getting companies to rehire workers aged 62 years for another three years till 65. But that could mean taking up a different job at a lower pay.

Housekeeping is not the most sought-after job, but someone has to do it.

66-year-old Lee Lai Eng has been working as a housekeeper for over 20 years. The grandmother of four chose to continue working six days a week, eight hours each day, even after retirement.

Even though she gets the same pay as her younger colleagues, the former nurse feels empowered by her added responsibilities as a housekeeping trainer. She is also glad that being employed means her medical needs are taken care of by the company.

Madam Lee said: "My children have asked me to stop work, but it is hard." She said she prefers to be independent financially. "I prefer to be free."

"Pay is important, but I feel that I don't need so much money since I'm so old," said Madam Lee.

That is something Prime Minister Lee will be glad to hear.

Speaking at Singapore's first Retirement Conference on Thursday, he said social attitudes must change.

"The job of hotel attendant may be a humble one, but it is an honourable employment. We should not discourage anyone from taking on such jobs. To do so would limit his options to be active, engaged and to earn an income," Mr Lee said.

"They need to be ready to adjust to different responsibilities, and possibly lighter work and less pay and understandably, these adjustments are harder to accept," he added.

Besides attitudes, Mr Lee said wage structures - where workers get paid according to the number of years on the job - must also change with the times, so that companies will hire more older workers instead of younger and cheaper ones.

The labour movement is working with companies to make older workers' wage structure more competitive so that it is easier for them to stay employed.

NTUC deputy secretary-general, Heng Chee How, said: "For the older workers, you are looking at aspects of health, you're looking at aspects of skills, you're looking at aspects of job performance.

"And all these are specific areas that must be further enhanced because as the population ages, you'll have more and more older workers. They'll have to work longer and they'd want to work longer."

The unions are also working with companies to help older workers find and keep jobs during this downturn.

Union leaders say they are working with companies to encourage them to send not just the younger workers for retraining but the older ones as well, as part of the government's S$600m skills upgrading scheme.

- CNA/ir