Programmes to Support Companies to Adopt More Age-friendly Work Practices

4 Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what programmes are in place to support companies in making work and the work environment age-friendly to enable companies to leverage on the competencies of their older employees and for older workers to do their best work; (b) what is the progress of companies establishing and adopting more age-friendly work practices; and (c) what is the progress of companies retraining their older workers to enable them to take on new opportunities within the organisation.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Manpower (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government encourages companies to redesign workplaces and processes to create easier, safer and smarter jobs for older workers. Since the WorkPro Job Redesign Grant started six years ago in 2013, over 1,800 companies employing about 20,000 older workers have benefited from the grant and redesigned their jobs.

Even without the grants, many progressive companies have implemented age-friendly practices. In 2018, about 12,000 companies, employing about 92% of the 331,000 local employees aged 50 and above, reported that they have done so. These age-friendly measures include job redesign, flexible work arrangements and well-being programmes.

The Government continues to support our seniors to upgrade their skills alongside changing needs of the industry. For example, the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy provides higher funding support for eligible Singaporeans aged 40 and over. This could be up to 90% of course fees for SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) supported courses and at least 90% of programme costs for MOE-subsidised courses in our Institutes of Higher Learning.

The rate of training in older workers aged between age 50 and 64 has been rising steadily in recent years, from 26% in 2015 to 40% in 2018.

Nonetheless, there is scope to do more. Today, job redesign is mostly very task-specific and benefits only a few workers at a time. Hence, the Government supports the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers' recommendation which encourages employers to move beyond this, so that they can implement job redesign throughout their organisation and at the systems level. This move will extend the age ceiling of more jobs and workers.

Older workers are more likely to look to employers to indicate the kind of training they should undertake. As employers are more aware of the changes in industry and also demand and technology, they are well-placed to advise older workers on the type of training they need to stay relevant for the future economy. Hence, the Government also supports the Workgroup's recommendation to encourage employers to engage mature and older workers in structured career planning sessions.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo (East Coast): I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the comprehensive reply. Could I just ask, how has this helped in terms of making it easier for employers to offer opportunities for re-employment of their employees who have reached retirement age? As well as, what has the feedback been from older workers, in terms of this helping in their re-employment and hearing that it is still task-oriented, but has it helped in their re-employment opportunities with the employers?

Ms Low Yen Ling: I wish to thank the Member Ms Jessica Tan for her supplementary questions. I want to assure her that the Government is always looking at ways to help workers who wish to work longer, to let them enjoy productive longevity. That means longer and more productive careers. At the same time, we stand ready to support the companies to make their work and also work environment age-friendly in support of hiring older workers.

In the last few years, we have put in place many things, not just the policies but also measures and programmes and schemes and even tripartite guidelines. Now, the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers' recommendations, the 22 recommendations to allow older workers to work as long as they are willing to work and are able to work and to equip the employers to make the workplace more age-friendly.

Today, well over 90% of the eligible private sector local workers reaching the age of 62 who wish to continue working are offered re-employment. Well above 90%. Even for those who are 63 to 67 years old, more than 90% of them are offered re-employment. Some of the workers may chose not to work after a certain age and some of them may choose to vary their intensity, maybe they want flexible work arrangement, part-time and so on. Of those who were re-employed in the same job, the vast majority continue to enjoy the same wages during re-employment.