Legislation for Two Days of Eldercare Leave Per Year
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the Ministry of Health will legislate two days of annual eldercare leave, as proposed by Miss Cheng Li Hui to support caregivers. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong stated the Ministry will study the suggestion while considering existing leave provisions and the caregiving responsibilities of the workforce. He highlighted that many employers already provide family-care leave and noted an increase in firms offering flexible work arrangements to 47% by 2014. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health is expanding support through home and community care options, such as weekend respite services and the Eldersit programme for dementia patients. The government remains committed to collaborating with unions and other ministries to encourage family-friendly practices and strengthen support for Singapore’s working caregivers.
Transcript
31 Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider legislating two days of eldercare leave per year for employees.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: I would like to thank Miss Cheng Li Hui for her suggestion. We recognise that caregiving is no easy feat and care-giving responsibility will become heavier with Singapore's ageing population. We will certainly study this suggestion, taking into consideration the overall leave provision already put in place by employers and the caregiving needs of workers.
Some employers offer a range of family-related leave benefits which can be tapped on to care for family members if necessary. For example, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, a semiconductor company, offers two days of family-care leave as well as two days of eldercare leave. The DSO National Laboratories offers two days of family-care leave, on top of statutory leave and other schemes, such as compassionate leave. Public Service agencies also provide parent-care, paternity and maternity leave, separate from vacation leave. The Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy launched the Tripartite Advisory on Flexible Work Arrangements to help guide employers and employees in implementing flexible work arrangements. The proportion of employers providing at least one form of flexible work arrangement has also gone up from 28% in 2008 to 47% in 2014. About seven in 10 employers also provide unplanned time-off for their employees to attend to personal matters. We encourage more companies to support their employees' caregiving responsibilities by providing flexible work arrangements or time-off to look after their elderly parents.
In addition, the MOH has been strengthening caregiver support for Singaporeans, particularly those who have to juggle between work and caregiving roles. We have expanded the number of home and community care options to help support the care and social needs of their elderly loved ones during the week when they have to go to work. We have also made respite services more accessible. We have introduced weekend respite services at several eldercare centres across Singapore to support caregivers who may need a few hours off during the weekend. Some nursing homes also offer a respite care programme which provides overnight stay for seniors for a short period. For those looking after a family member with dementia, the Eldersit programme provides an eldersitter to look after the seniors at home and engage them in activities for a few hours when caregiving arrangements are not available.
We will continue to work with other Ministries and the unions to encourage employers to adopt family-friendly practices and to strengthen support for working caregivers.