Many in Singapore work till they die.

cherry6

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Many in Singapore work till they die.
When the National Survey of Senior Citizens asked elderly people in 2011 why they continued to work, more than half said that it was to meet their current living expenses.
Another 20 per cent cited concerns about long-term income security.


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Elderly workers
Many working out of need, not out of choice
Ng Kok Hoe For The Straits Times
PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2017, 5:00 AM SGT

Working in old age evokes two opposing images. One is of vulnerability and need, of elderly people who make a living clearing tables at hawker centres and collecting cardboard. Then there is the image of productivity, active ageing and choice, of older people who continue to work because it gives meaning and a sense of independence.
So which image better depicts the experiences of older workers?
This question has gained increasing interest as population ageing prompts measures to retain older workers, but the public remains concerned about the work conditions some elderly workers face. Ongoing debates in the news and social media disagree on the motivations of work in old age.

In a recent report, several elderly persons who were interviewed said they were working to stay physically and mentally active rather than to meet their expenses ("Age of golden workers: Many seniors working into 80s and 90s to stay active"; ST, April 30).
However the report also quotes a Member of Parliament who observed that elderly workers do not always admit that they need the income. Some even avoid seeking help because they prefer to depend on themselves.
There are reasons to be upbeat about the future. In the long run, due to better educational and economic opportunities, there will be fewer people in physically demanding manual jobs from which workers normally have to retire earlier.
Greater income accumulation in the younger years will mean that more people can make a choice about work in their later years. Central Provident Fund (CPF) coverage and account balances have been rising steadily.
However the elderly population, like all other age groups, is diverse.
st_20170518_stoldwork6ksg_3148766.jpg

A shopkeeper selling ribbons, laces and buttons at a shop in Old Woodlands Town Centre. Some elderly people work for social connectedness and fulfilment, but many others say they have to work because they need the income. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
When the National Survey of Senior Citizens asked elderly people in 2011 why they continued to work, more than half said that it was to meet their current living expenses.
Another 20 per cent cited concerns about long-term income security.
Just 12 per cent chose to work in order to stay active, while 7 per cent were looking to occupy their time. Quite clearly, many did not consider retirement an option.
To understand this, one must consider whether elderly people's income situations allow them to make a genuine choice about employment. Despite improvement over the years, the elderly population still has fairly low incomes. The 2011 survey found that one in four elderly persons had a monthly income of $500 or less, taking into account not just income from work but all possible sources such as the CPF, family and public assistance.
It is sometimes suggested that elderly people do not need active income sources because they own assets - especially housing - that can be converted into equity when necessary, or that they may turn to their family in times of need.
But elderly people who are poorest in terms of income are also least likely to own housing. Currently almost 25,000 elderly people live in public rental housing. These tenants have no housing asset set aside for a rainy day.
Demographic trends indicate that, in future, older people will have fewer working-age children to rely on for financial support. This is worrying as adult children have traditionally been the most important source of income in old age. Already, co-residence with adult children, which helps to defray elderly parents' costs of living, is falling rapidly.
Policy developments in the last few years show that policymakers are keenly aware of these issues. A new Silver Support Scheme was recently introduced to provide up to $100 a month to elderly persons with low lifetime CPF contributions. There has been periodic tinkering around the edges of the CPF. The reach of public assistance under the ComCare programme has widened considerably. Under the terms of short- to medium-term assistance, elderly applicants are required to continue looking for work - there is no question of choice here.

Even when they are in the workforce, elderly workers cannot take economic security for granted as they tend to earn much less than younger workers.
Last year, the median monthly work income of persons aged 60 and above was $2,000, compared with $3,500 among the general population. About 13,500 of these older workers earned less than $500 per month. Measures such as the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme and the Progressive Wage Model provide critical starting points for addressing this problem.
Lower work incomes reflect the work conditions that elderly people experience. Figures from the Ministry of Manpower show that older workers are three times as likely as the average worker to hold low-paying service jobs such as cleaning, and twice as likely to work part-time and on term contracts.
Work for many older people is more insecure and less rewarding than for younger people.
In fact, as work continues to become more flexible and less secure across the economy, even younger workers will be affected, especially those who are less educated. Part-time and contract work had risen in the past when economic conditions tightened.
In the end, it is a mixed picture.
Some elderly people regard work as a source of social connectedness and personal fulfilment.
For many others, basic financial security is uncertain and staying employed is likely to be non-negotiable.
Much remains to be done so that more elderly people can make a meaningful choice about work.

•The writer is assistant professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 18, 2017, with the headline 'Many working out of need, not out of choice'.
http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/many-working-out-of-need-not-out-of-choice
 
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cherry6

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Funk Doobiest(sgtalk) said:
y third world country like china got retirement.
sg boh.
their elderly @55 already can already retire every mth still get their paid by gahmen till hand over ic.
y singpore lao lang so cham
still must wash toilet collect bowl

They have low savings because PAP gahmen allowed foreigners to work here with minimum interference (only lately did they restrict foreigner work permit etc numbers): so this suppressed low skill wages due to ample maids and other low skill workers. Little was done VZ skills upgrading till recently.

Many middle management Singaporeans also become low skill workers when replaced by foreigners of higher skill because levy for higher skill foreigners is low or zero.

Emphasis on physical fitness also zero or inadequate resulting in high prevalence of chronic disease amongst elderly which is expensive to treat.

If not for silver support ($250/mth or less) and pioneer gen pkg, more old folks would be collecting bowls and cleaning toilets.

China maybe u r refering to a pensions system, however, pls note that in big countries with rural areas, retirement can mean return to village to do subsistence farming, to pass time and as way of life. In Singapore, a city state, if u dunno how to use internet, then sadly, u are holding the very shortest end of the stick. Perhaps Singapore might have done better to provide vocational training to all and then collect worker levies even from professionals (Dr , engineer etc) to provide basic internet and financial literacy, vocational skills training to all citizens, that way, more middle management would be inspired to upgrade to senior management (competition of ALL foreigners for work passes, not just amongst the low skill ones) rather than downgrade to lower skill job levels (plus FOC workfare subsidies) resulting in low wage jobs salary being depressed even further (I.E. Some white collar workers taking blue collar jobs after retrenchment/ replaced by work/professional pass holders etc).

Gahmen should also build bigger flats so that families can enjoy economies of scale in housework etc e.g. grandparents can care for grandkids, cook etc rather than stay alone and feel depressed + lonely).

More opportunities to moneytise HDB flat can be provided so that elder can extract the residual value of their HDB flat which they cannot use after they die.

For all HDB not under current HDB reverse mortgage scheme, gahmen should request banks to provide the reverse mortgage since they are public flats after all and because not all elderly can accept a tenant living with them to earn rent every month.
 
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MasterChief86

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One of our ministers said some elderly like to work, otherwise they will feel bored at home.

They should let the elderly people decide that instead of putting his words in their mouth. I've encountered both types without having to look farther. There are elderly people who like to retire a bit early and spend time with their mate or family and there are others who start having existential anxiety when they aren't working and winning bread or making a contribution. Each individual should ideally be treated as a unique person with completely different thought processes.
 

cherry6

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Well.. life is hard here.
Life is hard only if u are not a potential top eunuch talent spotted by parliament / the PAP http://thepeakmagazine.com.sg/inter...-latest-book-sheds-light-leadership-pitfalls/ . The GRC was created especially to welcome u into the hallowed halls of parliament. The will be no loss of face because a parliamentary seat is all but guaranteed. And I don't even need much morals to be a PAP MP since the PAP parliamentary whip was lifted less than 10x since 1965 http://mothership.sg/2017/06/pm-lee...-full-airing-of-family-tussle-thats-a-rarity/ , which means I just play the same tune as the PAP minister of your GRC, just like all the other sockpuppet PAP MPs who abide by the PAP whip when voting/ speaking in parliament.

'Without some assurance of a good chance of winning at least their first election, many able and successful young Singaporeans may not risk their careers to join politics,' Mr Goh Chok Tong, June 2006 ['GRCs make it easier to find top talent: SM'].
Intoparliamentjpg.jpg
[Pict= [URL=http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2012/04/disassembling-grc-benefits-pap-1/]Disassembling GRC system benefits PAP (Part 1 of 3)[/URL]]
 
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katoboy

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One of our ministers said some elderly like to work, otherwise they will feel bored at home.
This is the funny joke :s22: I hear in 2017 once you hit 40 years old you will be getting hard time getting a job to compare to the younger age, their chance of being employ is much better the the senior one sad sillypore.
 

cscs3

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If you go Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and even Taiwan, Japan, England. No different anyway.
 

JKONG77

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If only life is so simple that it can be explained and justified in a few forum posts.

Every country have its own unique problem and challenges, none have or can say that it "got it all right". Just take for example America, despite many years going around telling everyone else what to do, the events in the last 4 years shown that they really need to get their house rights first.

Singapore is not immune to issues, and no government is so great that every single facet is taken care of and have 100% agreement from everyone. I am not defending poor decisions or ill thought through policies, but I am saying it can be understood, not everyone can be right all the time and every time.

Especially in Singapore, everyone is proud of the miracle generation that turned a small island into an economic powerhouse. Guess what? This does not comes free, this does not comes about with getting everyone's consensus. This also came about, with some people inadvertently left behind.

I think the government acknowledges it, and tried to do more and more. But "enough" is a difficult concept to fulfill when it comes to social welfare.

Some people would indeed prefer to work until they die. I personally met many old folks that prefer working than sitting around doing nothing.

Some people must work to survive, but this is not something that is exclusive to the old folks, is it; just that its easy to draw pity if you refer to an old person.

So, if you feels so strongly about the old folks working still at coffee shop, or hawker center, next time you see them, give them kindness. Help them clear the table. Talk to them, and if within your means and they need help, help them. Don't be a keyboard warrior pointing fingers at the government behind your computer sitting in your air conditioned room. Everyone can make a difference, lets start with ourselves.
 

hmsweethm

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I thought every seniors are living the Swiss standard of living.....
 
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