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Introduction
Mr Speaker, Sir, in a country like ours with no natural resources and hinterland, our source of pride and success has always been our people. In a world where seniors begin to comprise a growing proportion of society as people live longer and healthier lives, the continued success of our country hinges on the ability to leverage on the experience and expertise of our older countrymen and women.
This is why the Labour Movement welcomes the impending changes to the statutory limits for the prescribed minimum retirement and re-employment ages, as the Government looks to adapt to our changing demographics in accordance to the recommendations by the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers.
Relooking at Life Phases
The emerging generation of seniors is perhaps the most well-educated, healthy and capable of their age group in history. They are a diverse, dynamic group with varying interests and passions. Furthermore, medical and technological advancements of today provide the prospects of a full and enriched life even as our seniors continue to age. As people live longer, lives must be viewed through a different set of lenses. Indeed, we are now looking at a 100-year life. Instead of the conventional way of thinking about life in three phases: education up to your early 20s, working life until the 60s and then a long retirement, we must now be prepared for a multi-stage life, perhaps a more flexible life structure where the end goal is no longer retirement and stopping of work, but one where time is a resource and is redistributed differently.
Therefore, approaching our silver years in life need not be merely confined to the idea of retirement and fading off into career obscurity, but rather as an opportunity to live meaningful and happier mature years as we continue to contribute to society while staying active and healthy.
Protecting Interests of Older Workers
At this juncture, I would like to share an inspiring story of my constituent, Ms Lucy Ho, who is 71 years young. Lucy worked in SIA Engineering for 39 years. After her first retirement, she took a security course from WDA and is now working in the Singapore Cruise Centre as a security officer. Lucy believes that her continued journey in the workforce not only allows her to be independent, but also empowers her with a sense of self-worth as she is still able to actively contribute to society.
It is for this reason that the RRA act, remains relevant, as these age requirements serve not to determine the retirement age of Singaporeans, but to protect eager workers from being retired earlier without taking away their choice as to when they wish to stop working. If the RRA no longer exists, there is nothing to stop a company from choosing to impose or re-introduce an earlier company retirement and re-employment age. Furthermore, the ongoing pandemic has undoubtedly depleted the life savings for some, and the guarantee of employment for our senior employees provides a longer runway to build up this nest egg again. Therefore, the changes to the statutory limits to increase the RRA thus is a welcomed move as we look to protect our older Singaporeans who desire to work as it gives them a greater sense of job security and clarity of their future while also providing businesses the opportunity to continue to tap on a pool of experienced workers.
Needed Shift in Mindset Towards Ageing
Mr Speaker, although these changes to the RRA provides greater employment protection for our older workers, I am concerned that such measures might not necessarily hit the nail on the head. There is no doubt that raising the statutory limits further advocates for senior employment. Yet, raising the statutory retirement and re-employment ages may not be meaningful if senior workers are unfairly displaced even before they reach retirement age. Similarly, raising the retirement age may not translate to more offers of re-employment.
The point I am driving at is that these changes ultimately do not address the fundamental problem of a negative perception towards ageing. Misperceptions about older workers and persistent ageist attitudes regrettably still exist within our social fabric, as many employers worry about being stuck with workers who are unable to adapt to remain competitive and become an increasing liability for their business.
Yet, ageing does not have to always be associated with deteriorating health, disempowerment, and dependency. Instead, we can be a society where seniors are empowered, skilled, healthy and active contributors to society. I recall in the early 2000s as Singapore was establishing her strength in the biotechnology field, we tapped on the expertise of a cancer researcher Yo-shi-aki Ito, who at age 63 then was facing forced retirement from a university in Japan. Professor Ito made the move to Singapore in 2002, and along with him, he brought his laboratory members, and became a mentor to many other fine researchers who are now part of Singapore’s valuable scientific research community. The experience and know-how of seasoned experts like Professor Ito in the early years were crucial building blocks to allowing Singapore achieve her status as the regional biotech hub.
Support at Workplaces
The successful integration of senior employees would require a shift in mentality in the workplace that requires a partnership between both employers and senior employees. Employers have to be willing to take the leap of faith and utilise the current government schemes to hire and retrain mature workers for the benefit of their company. Likewise, older employees have to be willing and committed to learning and adapting in an ever-changing workplace. Learning does not cease in our teens or early twenties, and as we have longer lifespans, our society must reconcile with the notion that midlife reskilling and upskilling is not merely a passing phenomenon, but a consistent feature in our 100-year lives.
Support from Government
As such, if reskilling and upskilling is to be a mainstay in our workplaces, then I call on the Government to provide greater support and leadership in providing greater and better career guidance to our older workers in order to extend their work lifespan. Although the Government has provided various avenues through Skillsfuture Singapore and others, more can be done to engage mature workers in their career plans and provide counsel for those navigating these uncharted waters. If we are to extend the productive years of our seniors, we must look to increase the employability of our seniors and provide them with the proper job fits.
Just as we drew on the experience of Mdm Lucy Ho and Professor Ito, we must look for opportunities to allow Singapore to use the skills of our senior employees despite potential physical or technological limitations present.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while this amendment advances our desire to provide greater protection for our older workers, we must also take measures to ensure that our older workers are well supported in this endeavour for lifelong learning as we seek to ensure that our seniors remain employable. These concerns notwithstanding, I support the Bill.
