Current Situation
SINGAPORE – Education never stops being provided.
This is the guiding principle followed by Thirumaran Thangaraju, a 63-year-old Tamil language instructor who has worked at Woodlands Secondary School since it opened in 1982.
In order to continue instilling his students with a love of the language, he chose to re-enter the workforce after retiring in December 2022.
“Working with students has always energised me, and I value the interactions that I have with my students and colleagues,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), every year between 2020 and 2022, nearly 70% of eligible retiring teachers chose to be hired again.
All MOE officers who turn 63 years old—the age at which employers are now required to offer re-employment to qualified workers—are given the choice to reapply for employment, provided they meet the requirements for good performance and conduct and are medically fit to do so.
Under the contract-adjunct or flexi-adjunct MOE schemes, retiring MOE teachers may also consider adjunct positions. About one in five retiring teachers chose to work as an adjunct between 2020 and 2022 rather than finding new employment.
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One of them is Madam Mahala Devi, 63, who left her position as the head of the mathematics department at Anglo-Chinese Junior College in June 2020. She now works fewer hours at the school and is responsible for curating and reviewing the teaching materials for the division.
“I wanted a lighter workload to pursue interests like reading and exercising,” she said.
There are more retirees working than ever before, and not just in the education field.
In 2022, 47.5% of seniors aged 65 to 69 were employed, up about three percentage points from 2019. From 67.6 percent in 2019 to 70.6 percent in 2022, the employment rate for people aged 55 to 64 increased.
In a parliamentary response in February, the minister of labor, Tan See Leng, estimated that in 2022, there would be about 207,000 people 65 and older who were employed, or a 31 percent employment rate. One-third of them had part-time jobs.
Wholesale and retail trade, office and support services, transportation and storage, lodging and food services, and manufacturing made up the top five industries in terms of the number of residents aged 65 and over employed in 2022.
The figures are predicted to rise as Singapore gradually raises its retirement and re-employment ages to 65 and 70, respectively, by 2030.
Support from the Government and Companies
This has been strengthened by policies that aid employers who choose to hire older workers.
The $1.5 billion Senior Worker Support Package, which includes the Part-Time Re-employment Grant (PTRG) and the Senior Employment Credit (SEC), was introduced by the government in 2020.
Employers who hire Singaporeans 55 years of age and older are eligible for a wage offset from the SEC of up to 8%, with older age groups receiving more support. Employers are encouraged by the PTRG to commit to offering senior employees part-time reemployment opportunities.
According to data from the Manpower Ministry, as of September 2022, more than $450 million in Senior Employment Credit had been disbursed, benefiting more than 461,000 senior workers as well as nearly 100,000 employers.
Also committing to a part-time re-employment policy under the PTRG are more than 5,700 employers. More than 45,000 senior workers are anticipated to gain from this in the upcoming months.
Over 90% of mature workers who reach the statutory retirement age are offered re-employment, according to Mr. Heng Chee How, deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), in a statement to ST. Mature job seekers who have lost their jobs or are reentering the workforce are assisted by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
Beneficiaries of the PTRG include Mr. Leslie Danker, 84. At the Raffles Hotel, a resident mentor historian gives history tours on the side. He is one of 18 senior employees with the hotel who are over 65 and work either full- or part-time jobs.
“After 51 years with Raffles Hotel Singapore, I still look forward to coming to work every day as I am able to share my personal experience, knowledge and memories of the iconic hotel with my guests, colleagues and members of the public, perpetuating its rich heritage and legacy,” he said.
After retiring in December 2021, Ms. Edna Goh, 68, accepted a part-time position with her former employer, UOB. She assists clients with general inquiries from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm on weekdays.
“After retiring, I felt bored when I woke up every day,” she said. “I can now earn additional money for living and travel expenses and I have somewhere to go.”
She is one of 65 retirees enrolled in UOB’s Gig+U Retiree program, which was introduced at the end of 2021 to allow retired employees to continue working during the hours of their choosing.
UOB’s head of group human resources Dean Tong said: “The depth of experience these veterans provide guarantees that the bank has a ready and willing pool of dependable and experienced employees who can bolster, and even inspire, our colleagues.”
According to a FairPrice spokesman, 13% of its employees are 65 years of age or older, and in 2022, more than 90% of the senior employees were rehired.
The spokesman claimed that refusal to accept re-employment is typically motivated by obligations to one’s family, such as taking care of grandchildren or spending more time with close relatives. Additionally, rather than focusing solely on age when hiring new employees, the supermarket chain also considers skills and job fit.
More Taking on Flexi-work and Gig Jobs
Many retirees who are not re-employed or who are re-entering the workforce opt to take on flex-work or gig jobs.
In comparison to traditional full-time and part-time employment on FastJobs, Ms. Lim Huishan, general manager of FastJobs Singapore, noted that between 2021 and 2022, job seekers aged 65 and over shifted toward finding gig work on FastGig, an app that lists gig jobs.
The FastJobs job board and the FastGig app are both produced by FastCo.
“Seniors are placing more emphasis on flexible work arrangements offered by gig work, which allows them to plan work around their lives, instead of the other way around,” she said.
About 58% of the senior job seekers are men and 42% are women. A diploma or higher is the minimum qualification for about 24% of them. They are submitting applications for positions such as temporary retail associates, warehouse helpers, and administrative positions.
Seniors are looking for employment opportunities that allow them to balance work with other commitments and interests, according to Mr. Callam Pickering, an economist at the job search engine Indeed. He continued by saying that Singaporeans 65 and older were primarily employed in administrative and support roles with more flexible work environments.
2019 saw the launch of Silverjobs.sg by social service organization Centre for Seniors (CFS). There are presently about 110 job openings from about 50 hiring companies. 104 senior job seekers were placed in 2022 thanks to it.
According to Ms. Patricia Auyeong, director of CFS’ Learn & Place division, 60% of the jobs CFS places will be temporary, part-time, or gig work in 2022.
An anthropologist from the National University of Singapore and president of the Gerontological Society of Singapore, Associate Professor Thang Leng Leng, predicted an increase in the number of people wanting to work past retirement age, particularly with inflation. However, this may not necessarily be full-time, but more flexible part-time and “micro” jobs.
Before finding a gig job as a grocery shopper on FastGig, Ms. Emily Tann, 70, had been looking for a job for six months.
“I think many hirers were deterred by my age,” she said. “I had no interviews to go to for this gig.”
She picks products for the supermarket’s online orders, working either the 11am to 6pm or the 2.30pm to 10pm shift.
“It helps pay for the rising living expenses and healthcare,” she said. “Because of my job, I stay active and I like having flexible hours.”
