Heng Chee How
Singapore
“And in the case of overseas training, then there will be specific link-ups into the systems of our overseas partners, for example, if there is a need to further send the injured NSman to the local hospitals for more specialised treatment, that, too, was all planned in as well in terms of the protocols.”
“In addition to conducting regular exchanges with their professional counterparts, SAF personnel in our overseas training detachments participate actively in local community life and contribute back to the local communities, thus contributing to the strengthening of bilateral ties.”
“Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Giam for his question. The NS allowance, the nature of it, it is in a form of honorarium and for that, CPF is not payable. However, I just wanted to emphasise two points. One, within the NS journey, they are actually eligible for NS HOME Awards, which are paid out in the course of the NSmen's journey.”
“Mr Chairman, as we look forward, MINDEF/SAF’s commitment to NS and to our NSmen remains steadfast. We will continue to enhance the NS experience, maximise the contributions of our NSmen, and strengthen recognition for their service.”
“Mr Speaker, we have shown care for our older workers as a Government, as tripartite partners, not only in words but in deeds. As a result, we have made very substantial progress for our older workers, often bucking global trends. The environment we must deal with will be increasingly challenging.”
“Ultimately, fighting age discrimination is not only a legal matter nor is it just a moral imperative. It is also an economic necessity that will help sustain long-term prosperity for all.”
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“The past three years of COVID-19 have demonstrated many more possibilities of flexible work arrangements (FWA) that can be leveraged for win-win outcomes, when used wisely and not mechanically. I certainly agree with the elegant elaboration earlier by my parliamentary colleague Ms Yeo Wan Ling on this aspect and I shall not belabour the point. It has proven to be something that we have all learned – companies, workers – that under given circumstances, it can really be win-win and we should leverage that the best we can. I urge Government to strengthen its support for companies to acquire the practical know-how on the smart use of FWA to strengthen their manpower models and sources. Next, onto the raising of the CPF contribution ceiling from $6,000 to $8,000. There is every reason to encourage saving more and earlier to strengthen retirement adequacy. The raising of the CPF contribution ceiling from $6,000 to $8,000 does that and I fully support it. Raising the ceiling has the advantages of upkeeping the real value of CPF savings and enables workers to also benefit from longer periods of compound interest. This move benefits both current cohorts of Senior Workers as well as future cohorts of Senior Workers. Because then you can already begin to earn and save more into your CPF at the wage range of between $6,000 and $8,000 as the rates are raised. I had called for such a review in last year’s Budget debate and I am, indeed, happy to see the Government had taken this move this year. I urge that such reviews be carried out periodically for the reasons that I have discussed. Next, Government's pledge for basic retirement adequacy.”
“This process will take time because there is a need to consider economic and business realities and the experience of the first tranche implementation and what would constitute a viable balance and pace. Hence, while we need not rush, should not rush, we should make sure that there is sufficient traction along this journey and that such tripartite discussions be convened in due course, in good time. I thank the Government for extending the Senior Employment Credit (SEC), which was to end in 2023, by two years, to 2025. SEC improves the wage competitiveness of senior workers and strengthens their employment and re-employment prospects. The Employment Rate for senior workers aged 55 and above has reached new highs in the course of this pandemic period. So, for example, for those who are aged 55 to 64, it went up by three points, from 67.6% in 2019 to 70.6% in 2022; and for those aged 65 to 69, it went up to 47.5%, which is an increase of 2.9% from the year 2019. These are the figures as reported by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). These we achieved despite the challenges of COVID-19. We must make every effort to anchor these gains as the Singapore economy emerges from COVID-19 to meet new challenges. In the 2019 Budget debate, I had argued that enabling proper part-time work options is an important way to unlock a latent workforce among Singaporeans so that more middle-aged or older Singaporeans who may have had to leave work can instead stay in work or return to work, and companies in turn will be able to retain more good workers and have a bigger local workforce to meet their varied needs. I therefore also welcome and support the Government’s extension of the Part-time Re-employment Grant to 2025.”
“So, the fact that we are actually able to make progress for a segment of our workforce, namely our senior workers to be able to provide better for them, better assurance for them in terms of their employment, giving them a chance and a choice, to prolong it where they can and when they want and, at the same time, in the course of that to provide better for their retirement adequacy – this is no small achievement, and we must never take this competitive and social advantage for granted as we go on and tackle more and, indeed, endless challenges. The goals set out under the Tripartite Committee for the older workers set 2030 as the year where we would aim to achieve the outcomes. And we have eight more years. We aim to reach the statutory retirement age of 65 by then and the re-employment age ceiling of 70 by then and for equalising the CPF contribution rates for those aged 55 to 60 with those of younger cohorts while strengthening the rates for who those who are older in a tiered manner. I started the speech by sharing that cost of living, retirement adequacy and healthcare cost are top concerns for senior workers. Enabling senior workers to earn more, save more and earn for longer are, therefore, clearly among the best ways to help generate resources and engender confidence in these areas. Hence, Mr Speaker, Sir, as we complete the implementation of the agreed first tranche of moves, namely, the increase in the statutory retirement age and re-employment age ceiling by one year, we should consider a suitable juncture to commence tripartite deliberation to formulate the second tranche of moves to progress the Workgroup’s recommendations.”
“These moves are the fruit of tripartite negotiations and agreements struck under the auspices of the Tripartite Workgroup on Strengthening Support for Older Workers. These are concrete steps taken in the national interest and that reflect correct understanding of the realities that Singapore faces. I am happy to see our work in the Tripartite Workgroup being executed, bringing concrete benefit to our senior workers and the companies they serve. I thank the Government for enabling this through policy and legislation. At the same time, I want Singaporeans to know and to appreciate that our ability to do this, the whole of Singapore's ability to do this – to come together, to negotiate strongly from each side and then to reach a fair and feasible balance of interests and to then implement it effectively and in good faith in a timely manner – reflects the deep trust and value that tripartism has yielded for Singapore and Singaporeans over many years. In many other countries, they try to do similar things but they meet with protests and they meet with paralysis because of the lack of trust. The recent protests in European countries such as France serve as a good example. When that happens, actually nothing happens. You just get gridlock and everybody, all parties suffer – degradation.”
“Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join the debate. I speak as a Labour MP and my focus will be on advancing the interests of senior workers. Sir, from my engagements with residents, workers and union leaders, the rising cost of living is the one of the top concerns amongst Singaporeans. The top concerns of our senior workers, aside from the cost of living, will be that of retirement adequacy and healthcare cost. At the same time, NTUC has embarked on a series of dialogues with workers from different segments under the banner of Every Worker Matters Conversations, what we call EWMCs. This is part of our efforts to refresh our Compact with Workers. The ones that engaged senior workers received the same feedback. We have highlighted this clear feedback to our Government partner as part of our Social Partnership and are keen to work with Government and tripartite partners to proactively and systematically strengthen existing arrangements to make further progress – to reassure senior workers as they prepare for retirement. The feedback from senior workers validates the strong emphasis that Government, NTUC and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have put on improving senior employment and employability. In July 2022, the Government raised the Statutory Retirement Age and the Re-employment Age ceiling by a year each, to 63 and 68 respectively. In January 2023, the Government adjusted upwards the CPF contribution rates for senior workers above the age of 55 according to a tiered structure. Deputy Prime Minister Wong announced in this year's Budget of increments in CPF contributions for senior workers in January 2024, again according to a tiered structure, with provisions of transition offsets to help employers.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. As I mentioned in my reply, when we provide a calibration of the allowance for our NSFs, we certainly will have to monitor the overall price levels within the country. But at the same time, it is also very pertinent for us to know and remember that it is not the general cost of living that actually applies to the upkeep of NSFs. Because as I have mentioned, lodging, food, clothing and medical care – these are items that would impact the overall cost of living. And these are already taken care of and paid for by the Singapore Armed Forces, as well as the Home Team for NSFs. So, we will take everything into account in the review. And again, as I have mentioned, if you look back over the last 10 years, we have conducted no fewer than three reviews and we will certainly take all these into account going forward as well.”
“Sir, full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) receive an allowance to support their basic personal upkeep. The allowance takes into account that lodging, food, clothing and medical care are provided for by the Singapore Armed Forces and the Home Team given that most NSFs stay in camp. MINDEF regularly reviews and adjusts the allowance. Three adjustments have been made over the last 10 years, the most recent being in March 2020. MINDEF will continue to conduct such regular reviews and where necessary, adjust the allowances.”
“00 pm Mr Chairman, as we celebrate 55 years of NS this year, we all recognise that NS remains the cornerstone of our national defence and security. We must continue to build on the previous generations’ efforts and dedication to the protection of this country and the strengthening of our NS system. This is a work that will never cease, and the NSRC's recommendations will add to this effort and will put us in good stead as we continue on this journey to ensure that Singapore will forever be secure and free.”
“This would provide better awareness of safety situations and make safety promotion more targeted and, therefore, reduce the risk and likelihood of incidents recurring elsewhere within the SAF that are similar to the original occurrence. However, as I have said, safety is not just the responsibility of commanders. Every soldier must play his role, too. The SafeGuardian mobile application, which I spoke about at Committee of Supply (COS) 2020, has played a significant role in enabling our servicemen to report safety hazards and near misses in a timely manner. Since its roll-out to our active Servicemen in June last year, we have seen a 20% increase in open reports being filed. The SafeGuardian mobile application has empowered our servicemen to take greater ownership of their own safety and the safety of those around them. Besides open reporting, we are also encouraged that over 37,000 users have viewed the SafeGuardian’s in-application safety information thus far. Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked about other recent efforts to enhance training safety. MINDEF/SAF will be collaborating with DSO and the National University of Singapore to establish the Heat Resilience and Performance Centre in the middle of this year. We recognise that rising ambient temperatures due to climate change will increasingly impact the well-being of our servicemen and the effectiveness of our training and operations. Therefore, we look ahead to see what is it that we need to do in order to sustain our ability to train safely but effectively and upkeep our operational readiness. This centre will conduct forward-looking research on heat mitigation strategies and develop more fundamental approaches to prevent heat injury in the SAF. 12.”
“A positive observation made by the Panel was the continual enhancements to the Safety Management System at our Basic Military Training Centre, or BMTC, where a slew of safety and mental health support measures has been implemented to better help recruits transit from civilian life into military life. The Panel also noted the efforts to scaffold safety training across the leadership schools to ensure that our commanders understand and will conduct training safely. The ERPSS will continue to highlight best practices from industry during their continued visits to our ground units. Aside from the ERPSS, we have, internally, the SAF Inspector-General’s Office. The SAF Inspector-General’s Office has commenced its second two-year audit cycle of all SAF formations. Mr Don Wee asked about this. Compared to the first audit cycle, commanders and servicemen were observed to have taken even more ownership in upholding safety practices and displayed more awareness towards potential safety hazards. Going forward, the SAF will continue to sustain our emphasis on safety policies and processes and to ensure that safety lessons will be passed on, even as we see the turnover of servicemen, because it is in the nature of our NS system that you have cohorts who come in and train and they may leave. But we must ensure that the safety culture is entrenched and it is practised and improved upon, and we will do so. Dr Wan Rizal also asked how MINDEF harnesses technology and digitalisation to further strengthen training safety. We are developing an enterprise Safety Information System for commanders to disseminate information on safety trends and lessons across the SAF.”
“Mr Chairman, the NSRC has completed its reviews, which have been significant in strengthening the NS system and the SAF’s operational effectiveness. And we want to thank the co-chairs and members of the Committee for the good work. Aside from the changes the Minister for Defence and I have outlined, the NSRC has made three other broad recommendations, which we will continue to follow up on. Mr Henry Kwek asked about this. We will continue to work on, first, enhancing our training and leadership development programmes for National Servicemen. Second, better equipping our NSFs with transferable skills and preparing them for their transition to studies or work. And, third, better supporting pre-enlistees as they balance their NS-related obligations with personal pursuits. I shall now move on to speak about another topic which is critical – training safety. As we continue to enhance the NS system, our safety practices on the ground must also continue to be robust. The SAF, therefore, places a very strong emphasis on strengthening our safety culture through regular audits and inspections, by leveraging technology and constantly reminding both commanders and men of the importance to internalise the safety culture itself – look after yourself, look after one another. Dr Wan Rizal asked about the third External Review Panel on SAF Safety, or ERPSS, which MINDEF/SAF started last year. The Panel was established to review the SAF’s safety management systems and to make recommendations to improve safety in the SAF.”
“Miss Rachel Ong asked about our recognition initiatives for our National Servicemen. As mentioned by the Minister for Defence, we will enhance the NS HOME awards to better express our appreciation to our National Servicemen and their loved ones. We will disburse an additional $2,000 in cash to each National Servicemen cumulatively across the three existing NS HOME milestones, comprising $1,000 in cash at the first milestone and $500 in cash each, at the second and third milestones. Our National Servicemen will now receive at least $6,000 at the end of their full-time National Service and at least $5,500 at the mid-point and at the completion of their ORNS journey. The additional $2,000 cash will be paid out as credits into our National Servicemen’s LifeSG mobile application. This complements the current NS HOME payment, of which the bulk is disbursed into the National Servicemen’s CPF accounts for long-term financial needs. As I have explained earlier, these credits can be used at merchants ranging from those that operate on e-commerce platforms to brick-and-mortar shops as well. The change will benefit 54,000 SAF and Home Team servicemen every year. Beyond recognition, we also want to provide our servicemen and their families with peace of mind when they participate in NS activities. Since 2016, MINDEF and MHA have been purchasing Group Term Life and Group Personal Accident core insurance coverage for all MINDEF and MHA servicemen, for a sum assured of $150,000 each. We have reviewed this and, come 2023, we will increase the coverage to $300,000 each. This will help ensure that the financial support and protection we accord our National Servicemen remain relevant and adequate.”
“The credits can be used at both online and brick-and-mortar shops that accept payment by PayNow QR. Thus far, through surveys, we found that 97% of surveyed users had reported satisfaction with this improvement. Come April this year, servicemen will also be able to use their credits with merchants that accept NETS QR. With this change, an even broader range of merchants will be able to benefit, including those who operate in heartland shops and hawkers. Obviously, with this greater array of merchants and merchandise, it will also be a value-add to our NSmen. MINDEF will move our other cash and voucher-based recognition schemes, such as the cash payments for NS HOME, onto LifeSG. By mid-2022, MINDEF and MHA will disburse NS recognition benefits to 100,000 National Servicemen via LifeSG every year. Quite apart from the convenience that this will bring to our NSmen, this will also greatly contribute to our national drive to foster e-payments adoption and to go green and paperless. Our National Servicemen who have received NS recognition benefits via the LifeSG mobile application will receive SMS notifications that these credits have gone into their account. We are very conscious that, in sending out these SMS notifications, these should not be mistaken as scams, and we will ensure that our SMSes will have no clickable links. This brings me to the third thrust of the NSRC’s work, which is that of enhancing recognition and support for our National Servicemen. Our National Servicemen contribute to defence during their two years of National Service and at every subsequent In-Camp Training. There is sacrifice, from both them, as well as, we hear from Members, through the support of their families as well. We appreciate this greatly.”
“As mentioned by Minister Ng Eng Hen, along with automating Make-Up Pay computation, we will be implementing a base NS pay. Starting later this year, all NSmen will receive at least $1,600 for every month of In-Camp Training that they are required to attend. For In-Camp Training of shorter durations, the allowance will be pro-rated. Aside from automating Make-Up Pay claims and base NS pay, allow me now to also talk about two other initiatives which will improve our servicemen’s NS experience. Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked about how MINDEF would leverage technology to improve NS processes. I am pleased to announce that the first phase of the OneNS platform will be rolled out later this year. This will replace the existing NS Portal and will provide a more seamless experience for our servicemen. Our National Servicemen perform several transactions with MINDEF/SAF throughout their NS journey. The idea is to centralise these transactions and essential NS services onto the OneNS platform and render it more accessible via a single mobile application or a revamped web portal. For a start, NSmen can look forward to enhanced Call-Up and Deferment eServices, to facilitate preparation for ICT. Other eServices will be rolled out subsequently and progressively. MINDEF has also collaborated with the Smart Nation Digital Government Group to digitally deliver NS recognition benefits to our National Servicemen. Since November last year, MINDEF has been disbursing the NS Excellence Awards and Celebratory Gifts in the form of e-credits that can be accessed via LifeSG. In the past, recipients received their benefits in the form of physical vouchers. With this change, they are now able to receive and redeem these credits conveniently via the use of their mobile devices.”
“While we invest significant efforts to optimise deployment, we must not forget that a strong SAF is contingent upon the commitment and morale of its fighting force. This brings me to the second thrust of NSRC’s work, which is that of improving the NS experience. 11.45 am A number of Members have asked about this. At the core of that experience are the NSmen and we have, therefore, designed our processes around that so that the NSman can be very well-focused for his training, knowing that the organisation is there behind him, cares about him, does everything to make sure that his contributions are maximised for the protection of this country, and takes care of his safety and well-being. Yesterday, Minister Ng Eng Hen touched on our plans to automate the Make-Up Pay claims system. At present, the filing of such claims is done manually by NSmen and their employers. Later this year, MINDEF will introduce an automated system which draws on income-related information from CPF Board and IRAS to compute the Make-Up Pay amounts. NSmen and their employers will be provided the opportunity to review the computed amounts to see if they agree. If no objections are raised, the amount will then be paid out to them automatically. For the bulk of NSmen and their employers, this greatly simplifies the process and saves time. Those who believe that the computed amounts are not up-to-date can certainly submit additional information for recalculation, so that the right amounts are paid out. Today, some NSmen, mostly from lower-income segments, may receive income from informal job roles, gig economy employment or other payments, such as allowances and incentives, which may not be captured in CPF Board's or IRAS' databases.”
“One is the Digital Work-Learn scheme for eligible Servicemen to pursue undergraduate degrees in areas, such as Computer Engineering and Data Science. The other is the Work-Study Diploma for Supply Supervisors. Our efforts to optimise expertise-based deployment also cover Operationally-Ready NS, or ORNS. A good number of our NSmen acquire expertise through their civilian careers and these are relevant to the SAF. A key priority for the SAF is to identify these NSmen during ORNS and redeploy them where their expertise can be put to best use. Last year, I spoke about the establishment of the Expertise Deployment Centre within the SAF. With dedicated resources devoted to identifying and redeploying NSmen with relevant expertise, the number of expertise-based redeployments has gone up considerably. One of our redeployed NSmen is ME4A Jeremy Yeap. Jeremy Yeap is a lawyer specialising in dispute resolution and he wanted to contribute further with the skills and experience that he has in his role as a lawyer. ME4A Jeremy, who had served as an Air Force Engineer, was redeployed in 2021 and now provides specialist legal advice to commanders as part of SAF operations. Mr Seah Kian Peng asked how expertise-based redeployment would be expanded. I would like to highlight a key change arising from the NSRC’s recommendations. When we launched the Expertise Conversion Scheme, or ECS, in 2014, the landscape was one where expert roles tended to be at the officer level. Eight years on, we have expanded beyond that and we have expanded expertise deployment across all levels, including roles that are assumed by Warrant Officers, Specialists and Enlistees. And for this reason, we will also rename the ECS into the Enhanced Expertise Deployment Scheme.”
“This approach has enabled the SAF to maximise our Servicemen’s potential to contribute to the SAF’s operational requirements. Mr Chairman, I have been speaking of optimising deployments from the angle of physical fitness and job requirements. But there is also another important angle which is equally important and this concerns the skills, knowledge and expertise of our Servicemen. Our population may be small, but it is increasingly well-educated and well-skilled. Future conflicts will not be solely decided by force numbers and sizes, though these are obviously relevant, but it would also be influenced – to an increasing extent – by technology and know-how. The SAF should increasingly grow and tap on the expertise of our National Servicemen. Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked about MINDEF’s plans for Work-Learn schemes. We have established Work-Learn schemes for several critical skills-based SAF vocations. Eligible NSFs can join these schemes to receive accredited training and education from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), whilst performing their NS roles. The Servicemen benefit from these qualifications and the work experience gained. The SAF is also able to tap on these Servicemen’s expertise for a sustained period of time. The first Work-Learn scheme was introduced in 2018. Four years on, there are now 130 Servicemen enrolling in Work-Learn schemes every year, serving as cyber specialists, as well as Air Force and Army Technicians. In the years ahead, we expect to expand the Work-Learn schemes to cover more roles and vocations, based on the SAF’s operational requirements. At steady state in 2025, we expect 500 Servicemen to enrol in Work-Learn schemes every year. This year, the SAF will introduce another two Work-Learn schemes.”
“The SAF has implemented functional assessments for our full-time National Servicemen, or NSFs, to complement our existing medical screening processes. Functional assessment allows us to assess the NSFs’ abilities to perform physical tasks required for the job in order to better match them to vocations with greater precision and to enable them to discharge their duties well and safely. These assessments have been developed in consultation with external physiotherapy specialists, alongside SAF physiotherapists from our Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance. They have also been trialled prior to implementation to ensure that the outcomes would be effective discharge of duties, effectiveness in the outcomes that the SAF seeks from the protection angle and, at the same time, safety of our Servicemen. Our trial on functional assessments for the Transport Operator vocation in 2021 has improved our deployment process and enabled more NSFs to be safely deployed as Transport Operators. Riding on this success, we have implemented functional assessments for pre-enlistees with orthopaedic conditions. These tests will be administered by trained SAF physiotherapists when the pre-enlistees report for medical screening, according to established protocols. These pre-enlistees will then be deployed to the relevant vocations according to their abilities. At the same time, to further expand deployment opportunities, the SAF has continued to redesign existing jobs for our NSFs. For instance, take the example of the redesign of the medic role. Leveraging advances in medical technology and efforts to define the physical demands required for each specific role, Servicemen of varying physical capabilities can now be deployed as medics.”
“Mr Chairman, Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen spoke yesterday about the challenging landscape in which the SAF would have to operate. Our National Servicemen form the bulk of our defence and security force, and NS is the bedrock of our national defence, giving us that firm foundation for Singapore’s survival, security and success. For the past 55 years, generations of Singaporean males have served their country through NS and had done their duty. As we commemorate 55 years of NS this year, it is timely for us to reaffirm our commitment towards ensuring that our NS system remains relevant to the needs of the SAF in protecting our country and is relevant to our National Servicemen. Minister Ng Eng Hen outlined the key changes arising from the NS Review Committee, or NSRC’s work. Allow me now to provide more details. The NSRC’s work and the changes it proposed can be grouped into three broad thrusts. First, how to maximise the contributions of National Servicemen; second, improving the NS experience; and third, enhancing support and recognition. Let me start with the first thrust – maximising contributions. As all Members of the House know, our birth rates are low and what this then translates into would be smaller NS cohorts 18 years hence. In this context, the SAF has to find different ways to continue to optimise the deployment of every resource and every National Serviceman, in order for our defence to remain robust. Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman and Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked for updates on the medical classification system review and functional assessments. Minister Ng Eng Hen had given the overall view yesterday and I will elaborate on that.”
“This means that we must look at what is coming ahead and rally the whole of Singapore society to face it together and thrive, leaving no one behind. As for NTUC, we will continue to champion better wages, jobs and work prospects for all workers. Every worker matters and we believe that this is the best way to care for their present and to uplift their future. Our older workers are a valuable and growing part of our local workforce. Let us work together with them to shape that better future.”
“I turn now to my final point, which is that we need to focus attention on jobs and occupations that employ significant numbers of older workers that we know will be impacted significantly by fast changes in technology. In this regard, we must pay special attention to the subset of such jobs and occupations that our switch to a low-carbon economy will likely put additional pressure on. The vulnerability of older workers in such settings is quite self-evident and I think, earlier on, my colleague Mr Melvin Yong and, before that, Mr Patrick Tay had also given examples of how the middle-aged PMEs are also facing these difficulties and pressure, including the three invisibles that Mr Melvin Yong spoke about. For older workers, if they are displaced, then their risk of structural unemployment will be higher than the rest. Even if they are rehired, their earnings will likely be lower and, therefore, negatively impacting their retirement adequacy. To forestall this, I call for a specific tripartite focus to identify such priority sectors and occupations for re-skilling so that older workers holding these current jobs roles can be reskilled and be part of their firm's future even as their companies transform. Such efforts can certainly tap into NTUC’s growing network of Company Training Committees (CTCs) in order to systematically, deliberately and proactively do so. In this regard, I join my colleagues in thanking the Government of the investment of $100 million to work together and support NTUC's efforts in this area. And where there is ultimately an excess of manpower, parallel efforts to help the older workers reskill and convert to other job possibilities elsewhere will be equally crucial. Sir, the theme of this Budget is “Charting Our New Way Forward Together”.”
“Traditional measures to help retain more middle-aged workers with care responsibilities either at work or to allow a return to work include the promotion of flexible work arrangements. This is correct and must, of course, continue. But I believe that this is not sufficient and we have to do more. I believe that it is timely for a very thorough study to be carried out on how to enable appropriate affordable senior day care services, whether they be homecare or day-focused institutions, to be made available, at scale, that would also be sustainable for the service providers to provide. Conceptually, this would be similar to the thinking behind providing affordable childcare services so that the parents, especially the mothers, can have a practical option of choosing to work, rather than, out of no choice, to have to stay at home to look after the babies. So, if you flip it to the other end of the population, conceptually, it is the same. Of course, the details are different and the conditionality for providing such affordable and accessible senior day care at scale is not identical but will have to be studied. But we must study this expansion of such day care services in earnest and, through policy direction, implement a scaling up of such services with appropriate conditions so that we can forestall a surge in local workforce departures in the medium term, or a huge further increase in demand for foreign domestic help to look after the seniors. But that, in itself, brings about its own complexities. Doing so will also allow us to create viable jobs in this sector, turning the unavoidable population ageing into an opportunity.”
“Sir, in 2019, the proportion of Singaporeans aged 60 outnumbered Singaporeans aged five for the first time. We have also heard that the proportion of Singaporeans aged 65 and above has grown from 9% of the population in 2009 to 16% in 2019 and will reach 25% in 2030. These figures all, basically, show that Singapore is ageing very rapidly. The implication of that on healthcare costs is clear and has been extensively discussed, including in the Budget speech. So, I will not dwell on that one. But there is another significant implication, which is the implication on mature workers’ employment rate, that we must not miss. As I had said in previous Budget debate speeches, there is a significant trend of departure from work among female workers from around middle age. By some estimates, there could be some 30,000 such work-able persons in our population. This is likely to be due to care responsibilities, that is, the fact that they had left work is likely to be due to care responsibilities at work, and such care responsibilities, given that if they are leaving at middle age, are likely to be related to caring for senior members in the family. This trend, we must expect, will intensify as our population bulge of baby boomers age into their 70s and beyond, and that would trigger a corresponding increase in pressure on middle-aged family members, especially women, to have to leave work in order to care for their senior family members. If this happens, the impact on household income and the retirement adequacy of caregivers on the one hand, and the implication on the availability and mix of our workforce to companies on the other, will be big.”
“Just like the improvements in CPF contribution rates, we must take incremental steps while we can, so that we will reach the goal within the timeframe that the Tripartite partners had agreed upon. The enactment of the Retirement Age Act and its subsequent expansion to encompass Reemployment represent overt Government and legislative intent and support for older Singaporean workers. I, therefore, look forward to the outcomes of the Tripartite Workgroup on Workplace Fairness and, in particular, its recommendations to safeguard and strengthen the interests of older workers for fair consideration and treatment at work, including for training. The Government has also put money where its mouth is to spur the continued hiring of older workers through a range of policy incentives: training subsidies, hiring incentives, CPF offset measures and so on, all stacked in favour of the hiring of older workers. The combined result of tripartite and Government resolve and action has been a steady rise in mature workers' employment rates. It improved from 27.6% in 2019 to 28.5% in 2020 to 31.7% in 2021. This is all the more remarkable, because these improvements happened even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that we are experiencing here in Singapore. When we compare this achievement with the large-scale shedding of older workforces in many other countries over the past two years, then we know that we must not take this support and investment in our older workers for granted. This did not come naturally and it is not by chance. That said, I want to point to two areas that I urge close attention and coordinated action on in the coming years, to make sure that these hard-won gains are sustained and not eroded.”
“For workers to be able to maximise their CPF retirement savings gained from work, they need to be in work for as many years as they are willing and able to, and for them to be able to qualify for both employer and employee CPF contributions as pay levels change with time. Hence, there should be periodic reviews of the qualifying criteria for employer CPF contributions to ensure that, as pay levels improve over time, the proportion of pay that qualifies for CPF keeps pace and does not become materially eroded, of course, taking into account prevailing economic conditions. This will enable us to strike and sustain a fair, judicious and necessary equilibrium between employers’ legitimate cost concerns and workers’ legitimate need for retirement adequacy. Sir, each year of additional work would mean that an older worker earns at least 12 months of additional pay and, for many workers, they have that 13th month as well, so, at least, 12 months. Clearly, this would greatly help with an older worker’s financial position and retirement savings, much more than any other measure. This was why the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers had recommended increases in the statutory retirement and reemployment ages to be accomplished within this decade, moving from 62 to 65 and from 67 to 70 by the end of the decade. The Government had previously announced that the first step in this journey is to add one year to both the statutory retirement and reemployment ages in July this year, that is, in July 2022. I fully support this step as our economy is projected to grow this year at a still healthy clip.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join this Debate. I support the Budget. Earlier, the hon Member Mr Melvin Yong spoke of the threat of shrinkflation, which is that the price is the same, but the items get smaller. That is the pressure that inflation can put on consumers. But, Sir, not everything, however, is going in that direction. There are certain things which are going in the opposite direction and one of them is the longevity of Singaporeans. Singaporeans are living longer and there are implications, and it is to this direction that I will now turn. Sir, I wish to speak on measures to further strengthen the retirement adequacy of present and future generations of older workers. First, I thank the Government for beginning to implement the recommendations of the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers. In January this year, the first step to improve the CPF contribution rates for older workers aged 55 to 70 was carried out. This is part of the journey to harmonise CPF contribution rates for workers up to age 60 by the year 2030, as part of overall measures to help strengthen the retirement adequacy of Singaporean workers. I, therefore, welcome our Finance Minister’s announcement in this year’s Budget that the next tranche of CPF contribution rate improvements would be carried out in 2023. It is important for these steps to be undertaken while conditions permit, because 10 years might sound very long, but it passes much faster than one thinks. Sir, while improving CPF contribution rates for workers aged 55 to 70 will, indeed, help increase their retirement savings to some degree, it is not a silver bullet to achieve retirement adequacy in and of itself.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for the question. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has measures to protect its personnel, including Full-Time National Servicemen (NSFs) against COVID-19 and to prevent large outbreaks. These include vaccination, testing and safe management measures (SMMs), as well as rapid containment in the event of cases. More than 99.7% of SAF personnel have received two vaccination shots and close to 87% have received booster shots. To detect COVID-19 infections early and to minimise its spread, the SAF has also instituted regular testing and SMMs, such as smaller group sizes and mask-on policy where possible. Service personnel, including NSFs, who booked out of camps are reminded to adhere strictly to SMMs even when they are outside and to monitor their health closely. Those who fall ill, who are sick, are only allowed to return to camp when they have recovered. Those who test positive for COVID-19 are to adhere to the national protocols. Even with these measures, our weekly infection numbers have increased by about 17% from the previous week, along with the surge in community cases due to the Omicron variant. Most of these cases were brought in from the community and detected through our routine tests. While there has been limited onward transmission within our camps and bases, and the vast majority of SAF personnel who contracted the virus have exhibited either mild or no symptoms so far, we are not taking things for granted. Infections have the potential to spread. We are tracking the numbers closely and remain ready to adjust our measures if necessary. 12.00 pm”
“So, in that particular example that was cited, for that employer to tell Assoc Prof Lim's resident that, "Actually, I would like to employ you but, you know, you are too near the retirement age", would suggest that the employer is actually saying that, "Well, I am prevented by law from employing you beyond the statutory retirement age" which is false. So, I hope that we should also make this point very, very clear to employers and to workers. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bills.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government and tripartite partners have worked hard over the years to strengthen support for our older workers. We must continue to do so, especially given our ageing local workforce. We must fight ageist workplace practices and give our older workers a chance and a choice to continue working. To do so successfully, we must not only extend the working ages by law or help make hiring cost-effective through wage subsidies – though these are important – but we must also tie our policies, resourcing, partnerships and implementation more tightly together. This is so that mature workers and their companies will update their skills more rapidly and purposefully. This will then help mature workers grow with their companies and be more able to quickly move into new jobs and into new sectors if they are displaced. This will be crucial in helping mature workers keep their value and sense of security, and view the future with optimism. Mr Speaker, before I end, I just wanted to make a point about something I heard just now as shared by the hon Member Assoc Prof Jamus Lim when he recounted what some of his residents shared with him that after they lost their jobs in their mid-50s and they approach employers and the employers told them that "Well, you know, if I employ you then I can't keep you for very long because then you are too near the retirement age." Earlier, the Minister had clarified that having a statutory retirement is not to force any worker to work beyond what he or she wants to. It is to protect him or her from an ageist employer who cites no other reason than age, to say bye bye to him or her. So, it is that way and not the other way. Employers should not misinterpret this to workers.”
“The fast-changing environment creates a serious uncertainties that confound both workers and companies over what training would be purposeful and for whom. This generates inertia at the level of the company and the individual. In other words, I hold back training because I am not very sure what am I supposed to be trained at? And after I get the training, am I headed for something meaningful? As a result, time is lost. Or sometimes, it might actually result in, instead of inaction, it goes into aimless training; train for the sake of chalking training hours, for example, which is not the point, because it does not help keep your skills sharp. And when that happens, you still face a progressive loss of employability. The risk is therefore that more and more of our nation's human potential can be wasted this way if the uncertainty continues. To tackle that problem, we cannot tackle it just by introducing more schemes or more subsidies. The current operating landscape may be too fragmented and cannot offer pervasive and sound guidance that links training to ops, future planning in companies. Therefore, more structure, more anchoring, consideration of shared services and periodic check-ins at the company and individual levels – as Minister has also alluded to just now – in terms of what you should be doing with your mature workers, would be needed to produce the required last mile outcomes for the majority of mature workers, starting in their 40s. This must be carefully and seriously studied, so that the current ecosystem can be reshaped to help mid-career mature workers hone and update their skills and strengthen their value and their employability as well as their adaptability.”
“This is especially so in the cases where the job lost was not voluntary. While it remains true that we must not encourage pickiness when it comes to jobseeking, but we must also recognise the real downsides of being forced by circumstances to repeatedly take jobs that pay worse or under-utilise ability, without reasonable alternatives. And the latter, if that happens, will come back to haunt society in weakened retirement adequacy and frayed social fabric. Thus, we must review and strengthen the social support to target the breaks in income that will inevitably affect more people and reduce the cost of their active retraining, job search and job conversion. Thirdly, let us review the structuring and conduct of CET or Continuous Education and Training. It is common to hear training being divided into two phases – PET or Pre-employment Training, generally the "schooling years", as most people understand it, as well as CET, which is the working years, as many people would understand it. So, PET and CET. I think it would be quite obvious to all of us that investments in Pre-employment Training (PET), over the decades have been immense. This correctly reflects the Government's recognition of our people as our most important asset, who must be developed and who must be tapped to their fullest potential. Government funding for CET, that is the employment part of it – during the working years – has also grown very substantially over the years, via course fee subsidies, absentee payroll, paid internships and conversion programmes for mid-career workers. There are also the SkillsFuture credits granted to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above for self-initiated skills development. So, a lot of money is also being invested in those areas, especially in more recent years.”
“Sir, I would suggest three areas for consideration. First, let us invest even more to further boost the capacity and effectiveness of job retraining and employment facilitation mechanism. We must give due credit to the work of WSG, NTUC e2i, SSG and NTUC's Company Training Committees (CTCs) and the Job Security Council (JSC) for each year helping thousands of jobseekers retrain and find new jobs. And many amongst them would be older workers. At the same time, we must recognise that the size of the mature local workforce will grow rapidly in the coming years because of demography and changes in the business environment will only accelerate. Therefore, we must consider whether our current mechanisms in facilitating retraining and career guidance and job matching on an individual, inter-company as well as inter-industry transfer level, do we actually have anticipated capacity and effectiveness, the swiftness of that switching to tackle the heavier loads that we can anticipate that are oncoming. So, we got to do a study on this and investment what is necessary to expand ahead of that curve. For if we do not get this right, then we will have to face up to a growing pool of displaced, disillusioned and disgruntled older workers in society. Sir, as I emphasised earlier, effective implementation of the last mile is the key to actual results. Second, let us factor in more episodes of displacement and to configure the help for that in-between. Every worker now must expect multiple episodes of employment through his working life. This means that it will not be lifelong employment for most. This in turn means that workers will need more help in between jobs to tide over as they job-search, and as they retrain.”
“I said earlier that the employment rate of older workers has held steady and even improved slightly between 2019 and 2020, despite COVID-19. I would qualify it that this was so for workers aged 55 and above. NTUC and SNEF co-led a task force – we call it the PME's Taskforce – to examine the needs, hopes and anxieties of PMEs. This was done over the past year. Their report was recently submitted to the Government. It is clear from the report that the anxiety over job insecurity among those aged 40 to 60 is palpable. To be sure, this anxiety was already there before COVID-19 and it came about partly as a result of business model changes, partly as a result of delayering of middle management and also technological changes. COVID-19 accelerated and intensified the factors. Sir, safeguarding the employability of the mature worker from early middle age must now be a central focus of policy research, planning and formulation. We must not wait until these folks are near retirement age. This must go hand in hand with ensuring a level playing field for Singaporeans in being considered for job openings. This is so that middle aged local workers would not be too easily or prematurely rendered unemployable and have to exit the workforce. Otherwise, legislative improvements, such as the ones that we are considering today, to increase the retirement and re-employment ages would be rendered moot, because they would not even be there. So, we must help them carry on and then with this extension, they will also benefit. Equally importantly, we must know that policy and incentives themselves are necessary again, but not sufficient to ensure the required outcomes. Effective last mile implementation is critical to ensuring real and sustained outcomes. So, what needs to be done?”
“These financial incentives have indeed been very helpful in lowering the cost of hiring of older workers and therefore increase the numbers hired. I am glad that the efforts of the tripartite partners and the responsible actions by the vast majority of firms have kept the employment rate of older workers stable despite COVID-19's onslaught. In fact, according to figures released by MOM, the employment rate for workers 65 years and older actually showed a small increase in the year 2020, compared to the year 2019. The Government has also provided preferential subsidies for the training of older workers for many years now. While wage subsidies serve to lower the cost of hiring of older workers and they would certainly help, they are actually also not the longer-term safeguard that is needed. They are necessary, helpful but they are not the longer-term safeguard that is needed. For analogy again, you can imagine that they are very, very good sandbags and flood barriers that you can mount right at local level and that helps. But what they do not do is that they do not reduce the inherent vulnerability of that premises to flooding, if the premises itself is too low. Therefore, we must still continue to undertake the hard work of raising the foundation levels. This is the ultimate way to keep the premises above the rising tides, and in like manner, effective improvement in the employability of older workers is the ultimate way to help as many of our older workers as possible stay above the rising tides of skills obsolescence and workplace value depreciation. There are very clear signs that we need to pay close attention to this area and to act on it.”
“This safeguards the longer-term resilience while tending to the immediate challenges faced by both companies and their workers. I hope that companies and workers alike would draw comfort and confidence from observing this move, knowing that our Government and tripartite partners will always act in the overall best interest of both our workers and companies. Sir, I would also like to seek a clarification from Minister. I might have missed it. It is with regard the transition offset package. This was mentioned in previous speeches that when you increase the CPF contribution rates, that Government will consider a transition offset for part of the cost that the employees would have to bear. So, in other words, the Government is co-paying with the employers for the improvement for our workers. This would certainly make it easier for the employer's to also implement this and to benefit the workers. So, I hope to seek this clarification from Minister whether that package would be put up. Sir, I return now to the coastal protection analogy. Building sea walls are necessary but they are not sufficient to ensure key infrastructure can keep above the waves of change, which is why it is necessary to raise the foundation level well above sea level, so that these places can stay dry longer. And in this light too, I say, it is similar to what we must continually do in order to shore up the employment and employability of our older workers for the journey ahead. Over the years, the Government has introduced numerous hiring and training incentives that favour the older worker. I thank the Government for that. Examples would include the Senior Employment Credit, the Senior Worker Early Adopter Grant, the Part-time Re-employment Grant and various others as well.”
“So, beyond the legality of it, it sends a clear signal to employers on what tripartite partners want businesses and organisations to focus on, namely, to find and put in place effective ways to keep our older workers sharp on the job and not cause them to become a liability prematurely. Therefore, I certainly support further efforts to protect older workers against ageist workplace practices. And in this regard, I look forward to the outcomes of the Tripartite Workgroup on workplace discrimination that MOM has initiated a few months ago. Sir, coming back to my analogy of coastal protection. If you look at it that way then, statutory retirement age and re-employment age are like a pair of sea walls, built for our older workers. They stand as visual reminders of our nation's commitment to protecting our older workers as an asset. This is not merely done to achieve some philosophical ideal, but it is done for a very practical reason. It affects the lives of our people, it effects the livelihoods of our older workers and their retirement. Sir, the first move to improve the CPF contribution rates was originally to take place in January 2021, as Minister Tan See Leng reminded us just now. That was to be followed by the increase in the retirement and re-employment ages by one year each in 2022. But as we know, last year, COVID-19 hit us. As a result, the tripartite partners discussed how do we do this in a way that does not derail the entire intent, but take into account the serious circumstances that we have to face. And as a result, we agreed to delay the implementation of the increase of the CPF rates by a year, hence, January 2022, but to keep in place the planned increased in the re-employment and retirement ages in July 2022.”
“I just want to give a little bit of background as to the thinking when we debated this within that workgroup. The basic question we ask ourselves is supposing there is no ageism in the workplace and therefore, employers are more than happy and will always employ older workers who are willing and able to work. Then, it is okay with these companies and it does not matter if we have a statutory retirement age because the company will just continue to employ. They are not in any way, held back by a statutory retirement age. But in the opposite scenario, where you have companies whose practices are ageist, then it is not so simple in the absence of some strong signal from the tripartite partners, from the Government, in law, I think we can understand that these tendencies will become more pronounced. As it is, we hear examples already cited that residents come to us and say that some of them might have been let go of even as they get into middle age. And they find it more difficult to get a new job and when they do get a new job, the chance of not matching the old terms is quite high. So, we ask ourselves, if indeed there is no ageism anywhere around and age equals experience, equals value and is fully appreciated, then why are we having this scenario? And if you are having this scenario, why is it therefore, not good for us to continue to put in the necessary protections? So, it was along those lines that we discussed. In summary, if there is no ageism, having a statutory retirement age does no harm. You just carry on employing. If there is, this gives you a strong signal to think again and do not resort to ageist practices so easily.”
“The first similarity is that both these challenges – ageing population and ageing workforce, locally and climate change – is that they are both very damaging if they are not properly addressed. In the case of climate change, one specific known threat to Singapore would be that of global warming leading to rising sea levels. In that scenario, if we do not build up sufficient defences early and well enough, the result will be a loss of coastal areas as the sea level rises. This is why the Government, as announced by the Prime Minister and has begun to be put into budgets, will invest heavily to raise the foundation level of critical infrastructure to be well above current sea levels and to build sea walls in order to increase our coastal protection. So, we must do likewise to help our ageing local workforce so that they are not only better protected but would also continue to be a valuable contributor to our economic dynamism. Sir, ageism exists throughout the world. I think we all agree it is not right. It is not good. It is not fair. But it is there, to a greater or lesser degree. On this journey that we all want to be on to reduce it, if possible, to eliminate it someday, we continue to have to deal with the reality that while it exists, and it does now, what is it that we must do to accord the necessary protection for our workers? And it was for this reason, that the Tripartite Workgroup on older workers debated long and hard as the first terms of reference that was set for it, on whether that statutory retirement age for older Singaporean workers is still relevant and needed, at least for the coming decade. It concluded that, that was needed. I hear several Members speaking about the need for that.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join this debate. I support both Bills and I will speak on the Retirement and Re-employment (Amendment) Bill. Sir, I declare my interest as NTUC's representative in and a member of the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers whose report was adopted by the Government. That report was titled "Strengthening Support for Older Workers". The Report itself contained 22 recommendations and, of the 22, the three most prominent recommendations pertained to the progressive raising of the statutory retirement age from 62 to 65 by the end of the decade, the corresponding raising of the re-employment age ceiling from 67 to 70 over that same timeframe, and also the progressive improvement of CPF contribution rates for both employers and employees for workers aged 55 to 70. That is the subject of the amendments today. The two Bills before us today, the Retirement and Re-employment (Amendment) Bill as well as the Central Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill, they are to give legislative effect to these recommendations so that they can be implemented to the benefit of both workers and companies. Sir, I think there is a good analogy between what we are trying to do to address the oncoming needs of our ageing local workforce as well as the needs of companies employing these workers when compared with our national efforts to address the equally serious challenges that are being brought about by climate change. I wish to draw that similarity to frame it in such a way that I think will make it easier for all of us, inside and outside of this House, to see what it is that we are trying to do.”
“On this, I was greatly encouraged when I heard the speech by Prof Hoon Hian Teck just now, when he recounted, even as we look back, how we do not just look at the "now" even though we have to solve the problems of the "now", but, at the same time, we must look at structural adjustments – how do we strengthen our core, our ability, our capabilities to create and fight for that better future – quoting then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee. I thought that is exactly right and that we are on the same page. We must not squander this chance. Mdm Deputy Speaker, on this note, I support the Budget and the support measures. 6.27 pm”
“Achieving this in the context of an increasingly diverse Singapore workforce, diverse in race, nationality, age, comprising both genders with equal ability to contribute at work and so on, means that the different segments must feel that they are treated fairly and have a joint stake in the company's success. Fairness is multi-faceted. For example, given rapid changes in skills requirements, it will be almost impossible to protect specific jobs from change. We should rightly, therefore, move from trying to protect jobs to protecting workers through improving their employability. In the context of mature workers, a topic very close to my heart, I say this: whether the companies give their mature workers fair consideration and opportunity to train and upgrade their skills to stay employable will be key to whether their mature workers feel fairly treated relative to younger cohorts and whether they feel happy to stay and contribute, or otherwise feel discriminated, disengaged and dispirited. On this, I am glad that MOM has decided to set up a tripartite committee to consider how best to enhance effective protection against discrimination of various kinds in the workplace, in order to unlock performance and potential. Done right, this will improve not only the optics of Fairness at Work but will actually hone it into a competitive advantage for Singapore businesses and workers. NTUC is committed to participate actively in this committee and to work towards win-win outcomes. Mdm Deputy Speaker, the support measures and the Budget do not of themselves or are not just designed to be cushioned against the latest setback caused by a spike in COVID-19 cases. They buy us precious time to retool for a shot at better lives and livelihoods ahead.”
“It is true that the ups and downs in our prolonged war against COVID-19 have led to a certain listlessness and fatigue in our businesses and our people. But we must not let that take hold. Instead, we must do more to direct the attention and energies of businesses and the population to the gradually brightening global prospects. There is real hope and opportunity to be seized, provided we are ready. And to be ready means that our industries and companies have to be innovative and competitive; and our workforce equipped with the skills, technologies and work arrangements to be effective in a post-COVID-19 or COVID-19-endemic world. This will not happen automatically. This result can only be achieved through solid tripartite partnership at industry and firm levels. In particular, we must focus on three areas. One, skills upgrading to meet new requirements. The requirements are constantly changing and changing quickly. We must upskill our workforce quickly enough. NTUC will scale our Company Training Committee (CTC) network and Ops-Tech roadmapping to help companies quicken their pace of adjustment and transformation. Second, flexible work organisation. COVID-19 has forced companies to work much more flexibly and unconventionally in terms of how they arrange the manpower to get the work done. Many companies learnt that they can better tap and keep talent and good workers, both female and male, when they are willing and able to adapt their manpower models. This is a lesson learnt, it has delivered results in selected occupation types within companies in all industries and we must not let that go to waste. Learn the lesson and keep it for gain. Third, fairness. A company's chances of success go up when it has a capable, engaged, cohesive workforce with high morale.”
“Therefore, it is obvious, and I think we all agree, that we must do our best and our utmost to vaccinate them soonest to protect them. Second, that children below the age of 12 are not being vaccinated. Because that segment of our population is not receiving vaccination, we have to "compensate" for that fact by pushing up the vaccination rates of the other age segments so as to attain population herd immunity. Third, that as we take steps to reopen our borders, the people entering Singapore may not be vaccinated and may bring the virus into Singapore. If these inflow numbers are large, their vaccination status may impact on our effective "onshore population" vaccination rate. Therefore, we have to take that into account in safeguarding our herd immunity threshold. This again argues for vaccinating as high a proportion of our local population as possible to ensure that we have sufficient ballast. For these reasons, I am strongly in favour of Government measures to incentivise rapid vaccination, including differentiating arrangements between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. We have no choice but to push hard and with great urgency. And because we have to compensate for our unvaccinated young in order to achieve total population herd immunity, I am, therefore, also strongly in favour of maximum effort by tripartite partners to drive workforce vaccination, the working-age population. This Phase Two (Heightened Alert) experience over these last three weeks should convince everyone that vaccination is good both for workers' health as well as for companies' business continuity. Second, we must keep our eye on getting ready to seize the upturn.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join the debate. Yesterday, the three Ministers who co-chair the Multi-Ministry Task Force (MTF) explained the sequence of events that led to the tightening of posture to Phase Two (Heightened Alert). This action was all the more stark because of planned relaxation of numerous Safe Management Measures (SMMs) barely three weeks ago. One thing was very clear from their statements, which is the intent to move carefully and safely to reopen Singapore's economy and relax social restrictions. That intent remains unaltered despite this big bump on the road towards that destination. Madam, I would like to share three points that I believe would be essential for mission success – the mission being how do we carefully and safely reopen Singapore's economy and steadily relax the social restrictions. First, we now recognise that so long as our population is not sufficiently vaccinated, we will find it hard to accept COVID-19 big flare-ups. Yet, this is precisely what has happened to us over the last three weeks. So, it can happen and it has happened and we have to find ways to de-risk quickly. To de-risk as quickly as possible, we have to increase our vaccination rate as quickly as possible. We have to shorten the "night". In Chinese, there is a saying 夜长梦多, in other words, "when the night is long, there are many dreams", many things can happen if the period gets longer. So, we have to keep it as short as possible. In pressing on with vaccination, we must note three aspects. First, that our most vulnerable group, namely our seniors, have the lowest vaccination rate relative to other age groups in our population.”
“Thank you. Mr Chairman, the compensation framework relates to injuries suffered by servicemen in the course of their duty, in the course of training, in the course of service-related activities and, therefore, it would also cover actual operations.”
“Mr Chairman, in response to Mr Gerald Giam's three questions, the first one is whether or not NSmen, should they be injured, whether the treatment with regard to compensation is the same, the answer is yes. On his question whether or not the group term insurance payout amounts can be raised, I would like to inform him that MINDEF and SAF do review the quantum of coverage periodically, and we will take into account all relevant factors as we conduct these reviews. If I may request him to remind me of the third question that he had?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. The hon Member Mr Alex Yam asked about the implementation status for the safety advocates in our services. I am happy to report that, for the Army as well as the Navy, all units already have them; and the RSAF, the Air Force is also making very good efforts in that direction. I think this really goes to illustrate the seriousness with which we take the subject of safety and how we want to be open about it in order that we might be able to prevent accidents even better.”
“We therefore intend to leverage technology to enhance the NS experience, and this is part of our digital transformation efforts, which is on-going, and which the Defence Minister mentioned. MINDEF and SAF have established an NS digital transformation plan for the next five years to develop digital products catering to our tech-savvy servicemen. We also have plans to consolidate all digital services through the NS journey onto a single platform, which is what Mr Patrick Tay asked about. Our national servicemen are at the heart of our digitalisation drive and we are committed to making NS-related services and processes ever more convenient and seamless. Mr Chairman, let me sum up. As the SAF transforms to meet new threats, so must NS. We are committed to strengthening NS for a new generation of servicemen in three ways: maximising their contributions, improving their health and fitness, and enriching their NS experience. We must never forget that NS was designed and put in place for an existential purpose. We need NS and we need an effective NS in order to safeguard our survival, security, freedom and sovereignty. With committed and capable national servicemen, Singapore will continue to more than survive and to thrive. [Applause.]”
“We are expanding the PREP4NS trial to include admission, beyond the SAFRA gyms, to 24 ActiveSG gyms across Singapore. Pre-enlistees can look forward to yet more facilities to prepare for Basic Military Training. Registration for the PREP4NS membership to the ActiveSG gyms will be announced later. Similarly, we are mindful of the work-life demands on our NSmen’s time and are exploring additional ways to provide more convenience and flexibility for NS fitness activities. This will motivate our NSmen to keep an active lifestyle, ensuring that they remain operationally ready. We hope to announce more details soon. Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked about initiatives to make our NS processes more convenient for our servicemen. Besides fitness activities, our enhanced Health Screening Programme (HSP) is a key example of this. NSmen who are IPPT-eligible and aged 35 and above undergo screening to ensure that they can safely participate in the more strenuous activities during the ICT. We have introduced two enhancements, which will benefit about 11,000 NSmen annually. First, we can now complete the HSP for most NSmen in a single session instead of two, thus saving them an entire trip. Second, we will establish a specialised HSP centre in our MMI campus in NUS Kent Ridge by mid-2021. MMI used to be known as the Military Medicine Institute. This centralised location will bring greater convenience to our busy NSmen, who can expect shorter booking and waiting times. Better experience through digitalisation is the next area that I will speak on. The NSRC’s third focus area is enhancing every serviceman’s NS experience. Our daily activities are increasingly conducted on digital platforms.”
“Under SkillsFuture@NS, NSFs can use their Electronic Pre-Release Employment Programme, or E-PREP credits, for over 4,000 selected courses to update or acquire new skills. We also organise a quarterly Enhanced Career and Education Fair, where NSFs can access resources on career and educational opportunities and attend customised SkillsFuture Advice workshops. Over 74,000 NSFs have benefited from these efforts since 2015. In addition, we have enhanced their Certificate of Service package to reflect not only our NSFs’ achievements and contributions, but also their competencies gained through Workforce Skills or WSQ Qualifications. This serves as a useful reference for prospective employers. Next, improving health and fitness. Let me now move on to the NSRC’s second enhancement: initiatives to improve the health and fitness of our servicemen. We constantly seek to motivate our servicemen to keep fit and healthy, as this forms a good foundation upon which to build our SAF’s operational capabilities. Ms Joan Pereira asked about this. For pre-enlistees, I introduced the Pre-Enlistees Exercise Programme for NS, or PREP4NS, last year, where pre-enlistees can register for complimentary one-year membership to six SAFRA gyms to improve their fitness. Responses have been encouraging. Since its first trial in November 2019, about 5,000 pre-enlistees have been accorded the PREP4NS membership. More than 80% of these have visited the SAFRA gyms since mid-June last year, notwithstanding the difficulties posed by COVID-19. Quite obviously, if not for COVID-19, the response would be even greater. Many have also reported improvements in their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) scores. Thirty-three percent more pre-enlistees attained a Gold after receiving their PREP4NS membership.”