Fair employment and enhanced financial relief are vital to protect older workers during this unprecedented downturn.
That was NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How’s key message in Parliament on 1 September 2020. He was responding to President Halimah Yacob’s address.
“Beyond the need to protect the Singapore core, I strongly believe that we must also clearly signal that job displacement and job hiring must not become areas for discriminating against older workers as a category,” he said.
Mr Heng proposed a five-pronged approach to safeguard this vulnerable group.
This includes keeping older workers in jobs, coming down hard on companies that display ageism, and providing more financial relief for those who have lost their jobs or suffered deep pay cuts.
H – Holding on to Jobs
Keeping older workers in jobs as much as possible should be the first option. Mr Heng reminded employers of all the special funding initiatives rolled out by the Government to improve the cost-effectiveness of employing older workers.
Examples include the Senior Worker Support Package comprising the Senior Employer Credit, the Senior Worker Early Adopter Grant and the Part-time Re-employment Grant; the extension of the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS); and the Jobs Growth Incentive.
He also called for companies to tap on the Lift and Place programme by NTUC’s e2i [Employment and Employability Institute] to minimise and delay displacement.
The programme helps to keep workers on payroll while they embark on temporary secondment in other industries.
E – Employment Assistance
Some workers will inevitably be displaced, and all must be done to help them get back to the workforce as soon as possible.
“Prolonged unemployment erodes hiring prospects, especially for older workers,” said Mr Heng, emphasising why the work of the National Jobs Council (NJC) and NTUC’s Jobs Security Council (JSC) is of critical importance.
Mr Heng underlined the need to monitor the “job matching, switching and retraining efforts and outcomes for older workers, and make the necessary adjustments, enhancements and interventions in the weeks and months aside to prevent the build-up of a sticky or permanent precariat of older involuntarily displaced workers.”
A – Act Fairly
The Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) should come down hard on companies that discriminate against hiring older workers, said Mr Heng.
“To have teeth is key to being taken seriously, and TAFEP and MOM must monitor the situation closely in the current climate and adjust the teeth where necessary,” he said.
R – Relief
Enhanced financial relief for the older workers who have lost their jobs or suffered pay cuts will go a long way in helping them navigate the future.
In this regard, Mr Heng urged the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to consider a second tranche of the COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG) and the Temporary Relief Fund (TRF) to provide some relief to displaced workers.
He also appealed to MOM to consider reviewing and expanding the criteria of the Silver Support Scheme (SSS) and the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) to help older low-wage workers who may have lost their jobs or who had to stomach severe pay cuts.
To help older Singaporeans cope with cash expenses without sacrificing necessary medical treatment, Mr Heng asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) to consider a higher cap and greater flexibility on using Medisave.
T – Tough it Out Together
Mr Heng concluded by calling for Singapore to stand as one nation to face the challenges of the times.
“This is a time like no other. Let us gather our strengths and our wits, and tough it out to emerge Stronger Together,” he said.
