70% of those polled want to work beyond 65, even with salary cuts
By Toh Yong Chuan And Amelia Tan, The Straits Times, 3 May 2014
By Toh Yong Chuan And Amelia Tan, The Straits Times, 3 May 2014
FORMER superintendent of prisons Lim Chong Teng used to earn more than $8,000 a month running a cell block at Changi.
The 66-year-old, who left the Prisons Service 11 years ago, is now getting $3,000 as a site operations manager for security firm Soverus. But he is not bitter about the pay cut.
"What is past is past," said the father of two grown-up children. "When we do different work, it is very fair that the salary changes."
Such a view is shared by many older Singaporean workers.
Of the 50 workers aged above 55 interviewed by The Straits Times yesterday, 70 per cent said they want to work beyond 65, even it means getting less pay. The rest want to retire by that age to spend more time with their families and on their hobbies.
In his May Day Rally speech on Thursday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave the clearest indication yet that the Government will extend the re-employment age.
Currently, healthy workers who hit the retirement age of 62 must be offered re-employment until 65, or a one-off payment.
"We will get there," he said, referring to current talks with unions and employers to extend the ceiling, possibly to 67.
No timeline was mentioned, although union leaders hope to conclude talks by the end of this year.
Older workers are eagerly anticipating the extension, for different reasons. Close to 60 per cent of those who told ST they are willing to work beyond 65 said they enjoy working as it keeps them connected with society.
Stockbroker Dave Chan, who is 60, said: "I look forward to work every day. Meeting colleagues and clients keeps me happy."
Mrs S.M. Chia, a 57-year-old sales manager at a financial services firm, added: "I would like to be a mentor to the younger staff and pass on what I learnt."
The other 40 per cent want to keep working because of financial commitments such as house loans and school-going children. Said 55-year-old cleaning supervisor Wong Choy Pheng: "I have to work until my last breath."
Her husband is a repairman and they need to support a teenage son with special needs. The family is also moving to a new three-room Housing Board flat later this year.
The other 40 per cent want to keep working because of financial commitments such as house loans and school-going children. Said 55-year-old cleaning supervisor Wong Choy Pheng: "I have to work until my last breath."
Her husband is a repairman and they need to support a teenage son with special needs. The family is also moving to a new three-room Housing Board flat later this year.
However, those polled raised several concerns about pay cuts. One was that such cuts should correspond to the lesser workload. Workers also hope that their firms can redesign their jobs to cut stress.
Said secondary school teacher Peter Ong, 62: "If I no longer need to be a form teacher or be in charge of co-curricular activities, then a pay cut will be fair."
Mrs Andrea Lew, 58, a senior accounts manager, said: "I love to keep busy. If there's some way there could be an easier version of my job, I'd certainly embrace it."
While older workers said they appreciate the move to raise the re-employment age, they pointed out that some bosses are already urging them to continue working as long as health permits.
Construction firm human resource director Foo Yoke Heng, 59, said: "My boss told me, 'don't think about retiring'. That makes me happy because I know my efforts are appreciated."
By Chia Yan Min And Ivan Teo, The Straits Times, 3 May 2014
MORE companies are keen on keeping older employees at work, especially given the tight labour market here.
Employers told The Straits Times they would support a move to allow workers to work to an older age, and are willing to restructure jobs to suit older employees.
At his May Day rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hinted at plans to amend the Retirement and Re-employment Act and extend the re-employment age.
Singapore's statutory minimum retirement age is 62, but employers must offer healthy workers who have performed satisfactorily re-employment up to 65, or give them a one-off payment.
A general shortage of labour has made firms more willing to tailor jobs to suit older workers.
Mr Albert Loh, chief executive of PTS Technologies, which makes radio frequency identification tags, said it does not have workers aged above 60, but is open to hiring them.
"It's hard to get workers these days... older workers can still contribute effectively," said Mr Loh.
"Most older workers would probably be more suitable in supervisory-level positions where they can give instructions or troubleshoot. They might not be as suitable for operative-type jobs which involve manual labour."
Mr Philip Leow, managing director of Fong Shen Mould and Precision Engineering, said automation can help speed up manufacturing processes and reduce the need for manual labour.
Among the company's 67 employees, five are in their 60s.
"All companies need is to undertake job redesign in order to create jobs that are more suitable for older workers," said Mr Leow.
"One of my staff is 65 years old, but he is in a management position as an operations director. He doesn't need to move extremely fast or have nimble fingers to do that job," he added.
Indeed, hiring older workers is becoming the norm among smaller firms, said Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises. "SMEs are very task-oriented... and will accept older workers as long as there's a job fit and good performance," he said.
Ms Chan Hoi San, senior vice-president of human resource at StarHub, said that raising the re-employment age would reflect Singapore's socio-economic situation, with citizens living longer.
At logistics firm YCH Group, director of human resources Min Lee said it was ready to make special arrangements for older workers, such as having them focus on physically lighter tasks.
OCBC Bank's head of human resource planning Jacinta Low, meanwhile, said it does not cut the pay of staff re-hired.
Firms need to strike a balance between retaining older workers' skills and knowledge, and planning for younger workers' entry into more senior roles, said consultant Mark Whatley at human resources firm Towers Watson.
Still, the retirement age "is but a symbolic milestone", said Mr Victor Tay, chief operating officer of the Singapore Business Federation, and employees' mindsets also have a role to play.
Individuals, he said, should view staying in the workforce as a chance to continue serving, to share their experience with younger ones, and to contribute constructively to society.
Agreeing, PTS Technologies' Mr Loh - who is himself 62 - said: "I am still on the job as I find it very fulfilling to have something to do. I don't want to retire too soon."
Govt's support of re-employment age talks "encouraging": union leaders
By Kimberly Spykerman, Channel NewsAsia, 1 May 2014
By Kimberly Spykerman, Channel NewsAsia, 1 May 2014
Union leaders have said the government's support of tripartite discussions to extend the re-employment age beyond 65 is "vastly encouraging".
But they caution that this may involve some costs to employers, and these concerns must be addressed.
Be prepared to do suitable jobs, with reasonable pay – that is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s advice to those who want to continue working beyond age 65.
Some union leaders agree.
Karthikeyan Krishnamurthy, general secretary of the United Workers of Petroleum Industry, said: "The more important thing is what kind of job you are talking about.
"If some jobs are physically demanding, then we have to look at whether they can train themselves to do other jobs. If everyone can be mobile, then we just move older people into easier jobs, desk-bound jobs."
With the possibility of workers being re-employed beyond the age of 65, employers said they hope their concerns about the trainability and employability of these older workers can be addressed.
Health, for example, is one of the concerns employers have when it comes to older workers.
Stephen Lee, president of the Singapore National Employers Federation, said: "Given the very tight labour market, we are not against moving to 65, but we would like to have our concerns taken care of in this move.
“You are adding another two years, so the suitability, the health issues and some cost issues could also be involved.
"Sometimes older workers have more occurrence of more serious illnesses, which can keep them away from work for a longer period of time."
The labour movement's Heng Chee How said the government is committed to help Singaporeans with their healthcare costs, as evidenced by the Pioneer Generation Package and the recent Budget, and urged employers not to make assumptions about workers based on their age.
Mr Heng, who is the deputy secretary-general of NTUC, said: "It really depends on the will of a person to want to keep relevant and keep adaptable.
“Old wine, if properly kept, is more valuable, rather than seeing yourself as a tyre, where after a while, all the threads go and in the end, you cannot even brake properly."
Mr Heng hopes the ongoing discussions on extending the re-employment age can lead to a consensus on the time frame sometime this year.
He said: "What the prime minister said today is vastly encouraging. First, that he heard the voice of the workers as expressed to the unions. Secondly, that he understands and supports the extension.
"Thirdly, that the government will get it done, and that in the doing of this, he would need the tripartite partners to work very closely and as quickly as possible in order to come to a practical arrangement.
“So I see this as his encouragement to the tripartite partners to further intensify these discussions and efforts.
"I hope that the ongoing discussions can lead to some kind of a tripartite consensus on the time frame, say sometime this year.”
Pioneer unionists like Oscar Oliveiro said the experience older workers have also makes them valuable mentors in the workplace, and they should be given the chance to contribute for as long as they are able to.
The 79-year-old was the president of the labour movement from 1986-1997 and was among the pioneer unionists present at the rally whom PM Lee paid tribute to.
More people need to embrace lifelong learning: HR experts
By Olivia Siong, Channel NewsAsia, 2 May 2014
Some human resource experts said a mindset change is needed to encourage more in Singapore to embrace lifelong learning.
By Olivia Siong, Channel NewsAsia, 2 May 2014
Some human resource experts said a mindset change is needed to encourage more in Singapore to embrace lifelong learning.
During the May Day Rally on Thursday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said developing better workers will help improve the lives of Singaporeans, and one way is through Continuing Education and Training (CET).
25-year-old Emmanuel Pereira is one of the first to undergo the Recruitment Consultant Place-and-Train programme, which provides him with six months of on-the-job training.
It is one of the latest to be developed by the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), together with the Singapore Professional Recruitment Organisation. The first run of the programme began in January 2014. The programme includes foundation training and WSQ-certified HR professional modules.
Mr Pereira, a talent specialist at Recruit Plus, said: "The course has benefited me... (and) prepares me for what to expect in the industry."
Mr Pereira, a talent specialist at Recruit Plus, said: "The course has benefited me... (and) prepares me for what to expect in the industry."
Employers said the programme will help raise industry standards, especially since entry barriers are low. It is also the first of such courses for the industry.
Adrian Tan, managing director at Recruit Plus and president of the Singapore Professional Recruitment Organisation, said: "A lot of new recruiters that come into the business may not have sufficient training. They're just given a phone book, a phone number, they have to sink or swim. So the training actually comes in to address that.
"e2i has been very helpful in providing not just the training assistance, but also the financial assistance. So from a business perspective, it helps us to contain costs.
"Training is something that we don't have as a luxury for small businesses like ours, we don't have a dedicated training department or training personnel. By outsourcing that aspect, we are able to focus on what we do best, which is our core business."
The benefits of training are also seen in the longer term.
IT consultant Triston Wan has been with his company for two years. The 35-year-old has also been through a similar Place-and-Train programme, but still goes for training every quarter.
Mr Wan, who works at Sapientia Holdings, said: "My roles and responsibilities have changed and increased. Instead of working in the department by myself, I've now started to manage a team of technical engineers, and I've also started to be involved in sales-related roles... My pay has also increased by five to 10 per cent."
But some HR experts said that not all workers are receptive to the idea of lifelong learning.
Erman Tan, president of the Singapore Human Resource Institute, said: "Typically, at the employee level we have a very contented mindset. That needs to be changed.
"The top management really needs to guide them, (let them see the light at the end of the tunnel) and let the employees see there's a great ROI (return on investment) for their long-term career growth, employability, even for their personal knowledge and growth."
With growing competition, human resource experts also said that CET will be an important strategy for Singapore in the long run. This is especially so as foreign investors look to set up businesses in Singapore and will consider how well-trained the local workforce is and how relevant their skills will be as time goes on.
Two new CET institutes are expected to help in this effort. The Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability was officially opened on May Day, and is operated by e2i.
Gilbert Tan, CEO of e2i, said: "Skill sets need to be transitioning all the time... Here at the campus, we are close to the industry, close to the unions, close to the employers to know what are these new skill sets that are needed and to be flexible and agile to change the curriculum, change the funding models, the support models, so that we can help workers be skilled in this new skill sets to complement changes in the economy."
The Lifelong Learning Institute will open in Paya Lebar later this year. It will be operated by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA).
Population fall sparks bid to allow Japanese to work until 70
Panel also wants married women to remain in workforce
By Kwan Weng Kin Japan Correspondent In Tokyo, The Straits Times, 7 May 2014
Panel also wants married women to remain in workforce
By Kwan Weng Kin Japan Correspondent In Tokyo, The Straits Times, 7 May 2014
JAPANESE would be allowed to work until they are 70 years old as part of a proposed strategy to deal with the country's declining population.
The push comes just a year after the government started requiring employers to allow retiring staff to continue working until 65 if they want to. Currently, most Japanese retire at 60.
The proposal, by a government advisory panel, is also aimed at encouraging married women to continue working even after they have children, through measures such as doubling the financial benefits for starting a family and bringing up children.
But the core of the strategy is to allow men and women to work until 70.
The panel, which consists of business leaders, academics and senior government officials, is expected to submit its proposals this month to the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The proposals will then be compiled into the government's policy on economic and fiscal reforms to be unveiled in June.
Government data released recently revealed that Japan's population has slipped to 127 million, after peaking at about 128 million in 2008. More than 25 per cent of the population is over 65. If nothing is done, experts predict that the population will plummet to about 87 million by 2060.
Despite calls by some academics and business leaders to bring in immigrants to tackle the problem, the government has opted for a domestic solution.
In an article published in his blog on Monday, Land and Transport Minister Akihiro Ohta wrote: "I believe we have enough human resources in our own country which can be used to deal with the problem without having to resort to foreign labour."
As a mid-term measure, however, the government is expected to ease the entry of foreign workers to make up for the acute labour shortfall in the construction industry as infrastructure work for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gathers steam.
At present, the economically productive segment of Japan's population is defined as people between 15 and 64, which amounts to around 44 million.
The panel urged the government to redefine the country's productive segment to people aged between 20 and 70, which would add another four million workers and reduce the need for foreign labour.
With added measures to lift the fertility rate from 1.41 to 2.07 by 2060, the government hopes to maintain the population at around 100 million.
Mr Abe is already trying to bring more women into the workforce. He has urged corporate leaders to promote more women to executive roles and is working to increase childcare facilities.
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