Fractional work, traineeships being trialled to support seniors wishing to contribute to workforce

SINGAPORE: In an effort to boost senior employment in Singapore, 32 organisations will trial solutions like fractional work, traineeships and training tailored for senior workers in the coming months.

They include employers like Micron Technology, SBS Transit and Tower Transit, trade groups like the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as social service agencies.

These organisations will receive funding support from the new Alliance for Action on Empowering Multi-Stage Careers for Mature Workers as they develop and implement their ideas.

"The prototypes developed by these organisations will provide us with valuable insights and practical solutions. Where feasible, we hope to share and scale it across different sectors," said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon at the launch of the Alliance for Action on Monday (Nov 17).

Dr Koh, the co-chair of the tripartite work group on senior employment formed earlier this year, pointed to the profound demographic shift Singapore is undergoing.

By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above. Life expectancy has also increased, from 76.2 years around 30 years ago, to 83.5 years today.

He noted the government's steps to support senior workers who wish to continue contributing to the workforce, such as progressively raising the retirement and re-employment ages to 65 and 70 by the year 2030.

"Beyond existing broad-based policies, we move now to empowering organisations and workers to harness the strengths of senior workers and help workers fulfil their career aspirations," said Dr Koh, calling for a "fundamental shift in mindsets".

Singapore's ageing population is a primary reason for the steady decline in the country's labour force participation rate.

Last year, the labour force participation rate for residents aged 15 and above was 68.2 per cent. This was down from 68.6 per cent in 2023, 70 per cent in 2022 and 70.5 per cent in 2021.

Work group co-chair and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) deputy secretary-general Desmond Tan said the labour movement wants to secure good job opportunities for senior workers that give them flexibility and dignity.

Fellow co-chair and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) vice-president Tan Hwee Bin said these efforts will allow companies to expand their talent pipelines while meeting business requirements.

PROTOTYPES BEING ROLLED OUT

The 32 organisations cover industries including caregiving, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing and security.

Their plans span job redesign, new models of flexible work arrangements, and career planning and skills upgrading tailored for senior workers.

Fractional work is among the solutions being trialled. This involves seniors who are experts in their fields offering specialised skills on a part-time basis, at a fraction of the time of a full-time employee.

For example, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises is developing a fractional talent model to help SMEs engage senior professionals on a part-time or project basis.

This is also meant to help the SMEs overcome challenges in attracting and retaining skilled leadership.

Caregiving platform Homage will trial a pathway to recruit, train and deploy 275 professionals aged 40 and above as basic and specialised care aides and special education teaching assistants.

Running from October 2025 to September 2026, this will involve developing a practicum-based curriculum, redesigning full-time care roles into fractionalised positions and encouraging social service agencies to hire mid-career workers.

Traineeships and internships are among the prototypes as well.

Air cargo handler and caterer SATS is developing part-time internships for mature professionals to re-enter the workforce.

SBS Transit is exploring a 12-month traineeship programme that exposes mid-career candidates to bus captain and bus operations roles before considering them for permanent positions.

Flexible work arrangements targeted at senior workers are also being developed.

Transport provider Tower Transit is designing a rostering policy for bus captains aged 63 to 74 that gives them a balance of regular and less physically demanding shifts.

It is also developing a "dual vocation" model for older bus captains to alternate between driving and less physically intensive work, and to take on lighter workloads like part-time driving or buddying fellow bus captains who are familiarising themselves with new routes.

Kampong Kapor Community Services is targeting a gig work programme for social service professionals aged 40 and above. This will involve re-engaging experienced social workers and counsellors through gig roles, also addressing manpower shortages at the same time.

Multinational corporations like chipmaker Micron Technology and HSBC are also among the participants.

Micron Technology aims to engage groups like caregivers who returning to work and mid-career and senior workers in advisory roles through a career re-entry programme.

The programme will feature targeted outreach, structured onboarding and mentoring for these workers, as well as inclusive leadership training for hiring managers.

HSBC will work on normalising mid-career mobility by supporting mature employees to achieve certification in a different domain of their choice, or to pivot into a different role.