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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“While displaced mature workers want to get back into work quickly, they also have many commitments to meet. In such a situation, many risk becoming structurally unemployed or underemployed, if they hold out for too long or if they do not get the offers. The help with adaption and job matching must seek to minimise such risks. On the Labour Movement's part, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has set up a unit called the Future Jobs, Skills and Training (FJST) Unit to integrate and maximise our efforts, as well as to complement those of our tripartite partners. As an example, we believe that as the mature workforce will be a growing part of the local working population, it is important for ITMs to include plans to fully utilise and continual sharpen this resource − and to do so within the ITMs as part of strategy, rather than as an accommodation or afterthought. At the same time, companies must be reminded that should they lose experienced manpower because of lowered demand, they will find it harder to recruit such manpower quickly when the demand returns. They will then constrain their own prospects for growth. So, please do not under-estimate the value of an experienced worker. This is also a time and opportunity for the human resources (HR) profession to step up and help companies maximise the contribution of their human capital, beyond just making tactical moves. In this regard, I urge the HR profession to pro-actively and seriously support and adopt the recommendations of the HR Sectoral Tripartite Committee and initiatives under the MOM's Human Capital Programme. Mr Deputy Speaker, the future is full of danger and uncertainty. That same future is also full of opportunity, promise and prospects.”
“Taken together with the Special Employment Credit, employers will receive support of up to 11% for the wages of their eligible older workers", This wage subsidy for mature workers in a slower economy helps boost their cost-competitiveness, and the Labour Movement is grateful to Government for that. Older workers who feel that they have been unfairly targeted for retrenchment or job termination can seek help from the unions, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) or the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Every effort will be made by the tripartite partners to help displaced workers of all ages find new jobs, whether in the current line of work or, through conversion, to other lines of work. We must not under-estimate the ability and will of mature workers to adapt and grow. Many have shown by example their resilience, and have demonstrated reliability and openness to learning new skills. Those who adopted a flexible attitude helped themselves seize opportunities faster. Government has also introduced or enhanced initiatives that help displaced mature workers get back into work more quickly. These included improvements to the Adapt and Grow Programme and related schemes such as the Career Support Programme, the Professional Conversion Programme, the Work Trial Programme and the Attach and Train Programme. I draw attention especially to two elements in these programmes which are very important. The first is developing a keener sense of where the jobs are today and where they will be in the future. The second is the wage and training support within these programmes. These are critical ingredients especially when helping middle age workers transit and adapt to structural shifts in the economy.”
“They see that in industries where demand has dropped significantly, companies had begun to shed workers, both foreign and local. They therefore worry if they would be axed next and whether they would be unfairly targeted for termination or retrenchment on account of their age or because they are deemed to be more costly. In this regard, the Labour Movement and tripartite partners are monitoring the situation closely. The tripartite partners have long agreed that mature workers, including re-employed workers, are not to be targeted for discriminatory retrenchment or termination. Companies tackling excess manpower are to abide by the relevant Tripartite Guidelines, which emphasised that such action should be based on how workers demonstrate capability and value on the job, rather than on age, gender or other arbitrary non-work criteria. On the Government's part, the extension of the Special Employment Credit and the Additional Special Employment Credit, being wage subsidies to companies to lower the cost of employing mature workers, will help address cost differentials between older and younger workers in the same jobs, and in this period, particularly pertinent. As stated by the Finance Minister in his Budget speech, "To help firms with rising wages, more than $600 million will be paid out in March 2017 under the on-going Wage Credit Scheme, while more than $300 million will be paid out in FY2017 to benefit 370,000 workers under the Special Employment Credit. The Additional Special Employment Credit will also be extended till 31 December to provide wage offsets of up to 3% to help older workers stay employed. The extension will benefit about 120,000 workers and 55,000 employers, at a cost of about $160 million.”
“This is because ITMs, whatever their details, will begin to be outdated the moment they are defined. Therefore, we must not delude ourselves into believing that submitting or approving a ITM, or even in implementing fully an approved ITM, would suffice. Indeed, we must see ITMs as Dynamic ITMs, ever changing, never ending, always adjusting, because the underlying forces are such. In a sense, we have to complement once-in-seven or 10-year economic committees such as the Economic Review Committee or the CFE with a decentralised yet capably led, continuously adaptive, responsive, innovative partnership structure that is alive and that goes on all the time, with all the partners that I have mentioned drawing upon all the resources there are. The point I want to emphasise is, many Members have spoken about the different schemes, whether or not there is a plethora of them, whether or not any particular one is sufficient or not. These are the boxes. But I think it is really in how you draw all these boxes together, whether as an individual, as a firm, across clusters, in partnership. That is the one that will create that value. Thus, "Building Agility through Capabilities and Partnerships" as highlighted in the Budget Speech, especially through strengthening sectoral tripartism, would be critical. In this regard, the scope of the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative should not only build skills for operating internationally, but also build "white space leadership and partnership capabilities", which I deem to be equally important. Mr Deputy Speaker, I move now to the topic of mature workers. Even though mature workers welcome the raising of the re-employment age ceiling from 65 to 67 that will happen from July this year, many are worried about their job security.”
“Those who can do so have developed capabilities and connections both broadly and deeply, which they then leverage to good effect. They are valuable to clients and are in strong demand. On the other hand, those who can still only execute conscientiously to a plan given to them will see their relative value decline, and the need for their services progressively supplanted by re-design and technology. This account mirrors that heard in many other forums, across different professions and industries. What does this tell us? To me, this means that life will no longer get better just by executing someone's plan conscientiously. That was value, but that was past value. The bar has already been raised. Going forward, we must focus on leadership that can skillfully and effectively work the white space between boxes marked "Funding", "Schemes", "Regulations", "New Technology" and the such, bring them together in order to develop the critical partnership capabilities and reflexes needed to produce innovative and valuable new platforms, products and services. If we understand this, then we will also understand that much needs to be done to move us from a traditional "execute to a given plan" mindset to a leadership mindset. In other words, it is akin to moving from being a chess piece to being a chess player, and a strong one. Therefore, even as I support and commend this year's Budget for adding another $2.4 billion in CFE-related funding over the coming four years on top of the $4.5 billion that was already set aside in last year's Budget for the Industry Transformation Programme, I want to emphasise the importance of implementing the ITMs and in building leadership and partnership reflexes and capability in the trade associations and chambers, and the tripartite partners.”
“For me, my speech today will focus on the economic transformation aspects of the Budget and on the impact on mature workers. Mr Deputy Speaker, when the CFE was set up last year, some people took the view that it was for the Committee to produce magic bullets that would take away the stress of transformation and yet produce a quantum leap in business outcomes and living standards. Thus, when the CFE issued its report earlier this month, we hear comments that the strategies sounded somewhat generic, and that there were no clear magic bullets. They then pinned their hopes on the Budget. When the Budget was announced last week, we again hear people saying that they wished for more painkillers for the immediate strain and that the path toward transformation is still not set out clearly enough. I believe this reaction reflects a mismatch of expectations, mindset and capability. Last Friday, I attended the third annual Projects of the Year Awards presented by the Singapore Chapter of the Project Management Institute (SPMI), a body whose membership comprise project management professionals. The leadership of the SPMI shared with me developments in their profession. They told me that if one goes back in time, project managers are deemed good if they are able to execute to a given plan, within time and budget. For that, they would be deemed to be good. But that is no longer the case. Clients today look for much more from project managers. They expect such managers to not only execute well, within time and budget, but also be able to add value and create value up and downstream from their traditional work − in areas of coordination, integration and unleashing synergy.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me to join the debate on this year's Budget. The Labour Movement, representing working people of all collars and ages, looks at this Budget with keen interest. We strongly believe that if we as a country and as tripartite partners set our sights high, put our shoulders to the wheel, persist through difficulties and setbacks with courage and not lose heart, we will get lead our people to a better future. That said, we must indeed expect significant difficulties in the economic and job transformation journey. Over the decades, the economy, job types and workforce structure of Singapore have all become more diverse. Consequently, the needs, hopes, fears and prospects of the working people in Singapore have become more segmented as well. The traditional blue-collar and white-collar workers are increasingly joined by highly skilled professionals on one hand, and workers of the gig economy on the other. The typical workforce comprise workers across widening age bands and multiple nationalities. The lines between these different groups have become more porous, sometimes due to choice and at other times, owing to circumstances such as restructuring. This renders social mobility more fluid in both directions. Both the corporate sector and Singaporeans at large tended to read and rely on the choices and signals by Government to guide their education and career decisions. This is fine when things are stable and predictable. In an environment that is more likely uncertain and fast-changing, how should companies and workers sensibly decide on their steps and paths? My fellow labour Members will elaborate on the various segments of the working population that they are championing.”
“At the same time, the future is rushing at us at an unprecedented speed and with unfamiliar manifestations. Even as we strengthen our frameworks of today, we must mobilise Singapore and Singaporeans to tackle that VUCA future with focus, joint effort and a sense of urgency. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“New technologies and social commerce platforms may also reduce or eliminate certain previously abundantly available self-employed or gig job options in time to come, such as the impact of autonomous vehicles on hired driving. This is, therefore, much more complex than moving from full-time to part-time work, or moving from being a salaried worker to being self-employed as a business owner. Our labour laws and arrangements have to keep up with the changes and challenges, so as to ensure that the risks and rewards of enterprise and production continue to be fairly and sustainably balanced between businesses, working people and the state. I mentioned the state for considerations, such as in terms of tax collection and social support outlays. Press on to revamp workplaces and work processes to be age-universal, through ramping up such schemes as WorkPro. The design of workplaces, work processes and jobs have a direct and significant impact on whether older persons can avoid premature loss of employability. Given the relative difficulty faced by displaced mature workers in finding new jobs quickly, such upstream work will help reduce downstream pain. Thus far, we have largely gone on the basis of a single national statutory retirement age, followed by a standard duration of re-employment. I believe that it is time also for the tripartite partners to study how mature workers in different occupation types may raise their effective working years beyond prevailing national statutory norms, for example, via industry-based or occupation-based norm setting. Mr Deputy Speaker, the Bill before us will help more mature workers cope better and continue to work, especially in the jobs of today.”
“While this is true for workers of all ages, it would be particularly pertinent for mature workers of all levels, given the realities of the labour market. To do this well, there is a need to significantly improve our knowledge of where the jobs and displacements of today and the future are or will be. We also need to enrol the mature workforce into life-long adaptive upgrading much more intensively and find ways to guide such learning and relearning beyond providing funding. Our job and training matching efficiency and effectiveness must also undergo a step upgrade to deal with the expected larger flow volumes as this flux spreads and intensifies. It would also require significantly enhancing social support and lowering switching costs for displaced mature workers who are undergoing retraining for new jobs in new sectors. These displaced workers have families to feed and commitments to meet. So, if left without systematic transition support, many more may exhaust their resources and end up in sub-optimal and underemployed work. Others may be discouraged from the labour market altogether and you will have this pool building up and that would become eventually a threat to social cohesion. We do not want that to happen. The third area of action would be the structural reform of work, work processes and also legislation, regulation and so on. The gig economy and the workforce will grow quickly, if we look at international trends. Companies will keep a small core and tap on contract, outsourced or freelance labour more and more frequently. New-age workers and displaced ones may also seek to earn a living as self-employed, freelance providers, independent contractors, or other non-traditional forms of work, whether out of choice or no choice.”
“The consequential question is: what should we then do to help mature workers stay employed or be re-employable in this changed and changing environment? This is my third point. I believe that, for this, we need to strike out boldly in three areas. First, measures that help mature workers stay valuable and cost-competitive. Reduce net business cost of employing mature workers, for example ‒ and this has been mentioned by both the Minister and the other Members ‒ through an extension of employer wage subsidies, such as SEC or the additional SEC. In this regard, I note the Minister's point that this is being reviewed, and I strongly support every effort and consideration towards its extension because not only would it help render the mature workers more cost-competitive in general but, in the current soft economic climate, it would be particularly pertinent. Next, step up efforts to educate companies on the implications of the peaking of the Singaporean workforce in the coming five years, and to help them find ways to tap on every worker, regardless of age, to the best extent. Next, increase publicity of mature workers being valued for their worth on the job, as well as for their resourcefulness and tenacity in adapting to new circumstances and in seizing opportunities. The more our society sees this as normal, the more mindsets about mature workers ‒ who they are, what they are capable of ‒ will shift in the positive, correct and desired direction. Secondly, we have to do more with measures that help match displaced workers quickly to new work. If increasing flux raises displacement risk, then we must find ways to increase the clearance speed of our job-matching mechanism so that we can avoid a build-up of a pool of structurally unemployed workers.”
“Even as we work hard to transform ourselves, we are buffeted by serious cyclical and structural changes. Events in 2016, for example, have also shown us how volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) the world is becoming. Consider the nationalist and protectionist backlash against globalisation and free trade, rapid currency swings, heightened global political instability, terrorist and cyber threats, technological changes interacting with social connectivity to upend business models in both manufacturing and services and to redefine where productivity and innovations are to be found and exploited. So, these developments raise two questions, one I consider basic and the other one consequential. The basic question is: given these disruptive challenges, how will goods and services be produced and sold? If technology and social connectivity, whether through driver-less vehicles, 3-D manufacturing, robotisation or e-commerce, if these are causing the creating, selling and buying of goods and services to be carried out in very different ways from before, then just making laws to enable people to do existing jobs for more years would become less and less adequate for more and more people as time passes. Even upgrading skills to do existing jobs better may or may not be adequate. This flux increases the risk of mismatch and worker displacement. The structural challenge in this is very real and serious. Unless we ready ourselves to deal with it, structural unemployment, which is sticky, may rise. And structurally unemployed workers, especially mature ones, will find that even cyclical upturns will not bring back the jobs because the old jobs may no longer exist.”
“However, it is important to note that it is the worker's right whether to accept such an offer, and they cannot be ridden roughshod over. So, that retains the security that they have under current arrangements. Where the offer cannot be met with acceptance, the worker remains entitled to EAP. Mr Deputy Speaker, clearly, mature workers wanted an extension of the age ceiling soonest. The Labour Movement fully understands our mature workers' feelings and needs and has been pushing hard for an early resolution. Yet, the negotiations have taken several years. You may ask why? Employers wanted added flexibility of options for them to fulfil their legal obligations without overly constraining their business and manpower decision-making. Workers, on the other hand, wanted more legal assurance to help them work beyond 65 and on fair terms. They do not want to be discriminated against just because of age. Workers wanted as much security as possible. In short, the negotiators were seeking a balanced and sustainable approach to achieve flexi-security. The amendments proposed in this Bill are, therefore, agreed to as a package to address the needs and interests of both the mature workers and businesses. A key lesson from these negotiations is that all sides were open to considering fresh approaches and innovations to reach a win-win outcome that secures each side's core interests. Such a mindset would be even more necessary when seeking new paths forward in the future. I now move on to my second point. A company will only employ a worker when there is a need to create a job position and when they can find a candidate whom they believe is worth employing. Singapore's economy is undergoing fundamental restructuring.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for allowing me to speak on this Bill. I would like to make three points today. First, I support this Bill. We must continually innovate our methods so that our mature workers can keep contributing, and this Bill does that. Second, big disruptions are happening to global trade, technology, business models, buying behaviour. How things are made, sold and bought are all changing quickly. Businesses and workers who can adapt will grow. Those who cannot, risk becoming obsolete more quickly than before. These same factors will also impact the chances of displaced workers when they look for jobs. Hence, my view is that improvements in this Bill are absolutely necessary but are not sufficient to maximise the working years of mature workers who would have to deal with this increasing flux. This brings me to my third point, which is that there is a critical need for the tripartite partners to examine these developments carefully and proactively devise policies and plans to address them in the interest of both mature workers and Singapore. First, on the Bill itself, I am very happy, like all my fellow Parliamentary colleagues, about the key amendments: the one raising the re-employment age ceiling from 65 to 67. Second, repealing the power of employers to reduce wages at age 60. Very few employers had resorted to that, given that most were fair-minded and that pay is very much performance-driven nowadays. Repealing this is timely. Third, allowing employers to offer re-employment job positions that go beyond the immediate company or organisation, after due efforts have been made within the immediate company, to workers who are due for re-employment. This gives more flexibility and scope for job sourcing.”
“Mdm Chair, the best way to enable seniors to age well is to enable them to stay healthy. This is a meaningful effort that can succeed only with the support of everyone – community-based organisations, grassroots, healthcare providers, family members, employers, unions and, most of all, our seniors themselves. By working together in every workplace and in every neighbourhood, we can and will build a nation for ages.”
“In addition, MOH partners organisations to bring preventive health services to the doorstep of our seniors. We are experimenting with putting health checks, vaccination, dental, eye and foot checks and even hearing tests on wheels so that they can come to locations closer to our seniors in the community. For instance, many seniors find it inconvenient to travel to SOCs to get a proper hearing test or for the fitting out of hearing aids, even though the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund subsidises such hearing aids. The National University Health System has thus retrofitted two Hearing Buses to bring audio checks to different neighbourhoods instead. This mobile Hearing Bus has started its journey of screening hearing for our seniors in Yuhua, Bukit Panjang, Nee Soon Central, Whampoa and Tampines West as a pilot and we will see how that goes. An example of an integrated system of preventive health, health education and social wellness activities have also been rolled into one at Paya Lebar. PA has worked with The Goodlife Cooperative (TGLC) in Paya Lebar to integrate preventive health services with social outreach and wellness programmes. Seniors can access basic health monitoring services weekly at the Paya Lebar Wellness Centre where retired volunteer nurses provide health advice and help seniors take their blood pressure, monitoring their blood glucose level, their height and weight measurements. Therefore, they know their BMI. TGLC actively reaches out to the community to encourage them to drop by to check their health. This is complemented by daily programming and interest groups at the Paya Lebar Wellness Centre to encourage seniors to take part in physical exercise whilst keeping in touch with neighbours and friends.”
“So, bring it closer, make it more convenient and, at the same, really urging our seniors to come and participate. In several communities, we are bringing preventive health and seniors' health education right down to the Resident's Committee (RC) centres. For example, in Bedok, a "Wellness Time" has been set aside each week in each of the four RCs in Bedok. Seniors are invited to come to the RC regularly to take part in workshops run by community organisations on caregiving tips, mental wellness, preventive health and chronic disease management. This is the seniors' personal wellness time and they also build strong friendships and provide peer support to one another. For example, Ms Celia Teo, a retired teacher who lives in Bedok, lives alone and often found herself staying at home feeling restless. Since starting to attend the Happy Kopitiam programme as part of the Sunflower RC's Wellness Time on Fridays, Ms Teo has gained a better understanding of various health-related topics, including dementia. She also says that she feels happier because she has something to look forward to every week at the RC, and the RC is close to her home. Beyond physical health, cognitive activity and social interaction are also important for overall health and wellness amongst our seniors. In Tampines Central and several other locations, we have started a weekly news sharing programme done in collaboration with journalists from the Singapore Press Holdings. These journalists from Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Wanbao volunteer their time to drop by the Neighbours' Hub which is a cosy corner in the void deck every Friday. They go there to read news articles from the newspapers to our seniors and to engage our seniors in discussions over current affairs.”
“We are very encouraged that many of our mature workers have made a real transition into a healthier lifestyle. An example is Mr Loh Ah Tee. An SMRT bus captain who has been driving buses for the last 32 years, he took part in HPB's "Healthier Workers, Happier Workers" programme in June 2015. Following a first screening where he found out that he had borderline high blood pressure and a high body mass index (BMI), Mr Loh was followed up upon by his polyclinic doctor and he attended health coaching sessions at the bus interchange almost every month. From doing little exercise, he progressed to performing about 30 sit-ups and 40 push-ups every morning. Mr Loh and his wife have also made changes to their diet, swapping for wholemeal options and reducing their food intake. Over a period of eight months, Mr Loh has already lost 4.5 kilogrammes, which was a big step towards a healthier BMI. At the recent health screening in January 2016, Mr Loh's blood pressure returned to normal. We will continue to customise workplace health programmes for mature workers in other sectors, such as healthcare, logistics and education. Our target is to reach out to 120,000 mature workers in seven sectors by 2025. Next, about the efforts in the community. In the community, we are systematically promoting seniors' health education via the People's Association's (PA's) Wellness Programme. In particular, we want to multiply and expand the access to health education programmes by leveraging the PA's existing community and social nodes. We hope that more seniors will be encouraged to participate in preventive health and health education activities, if these are just a few steps from where they live.”
“The health coaches will help the drivers understand their health screening results and customise a health action plan with specific health goals, working together with the taxi drivers. The programme was extended subsequently to bus captains and it was customised to address other issues that are pertinent to bus captains, such as hydration, ergonomics and stress management. As the bus captains have even more challenging work schedules, HPB and the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU) had to organise the health screening at bus depots very early in the morning with the active support of the Public Transport Operators, namely, SBS Transit and SMRT. I was there at one of these screenings, at 4.00 in the morning and I saw for myself the bus captains coming in, reporting for work. They were excited about getting screened so that they could know about their health status. After that, we followed up with a series of workshops and coaching at bus interchanges over a few months in order to improve their health outcomes. This sustained effort paid off. Mdm Chair, I am pleased to share that in less than two years, some 15,000 mature workers in the transport, retail, cleaning and security sectors have participated in this series of workplace health programmes. More importantly, it is not only about activities, it is also about outcomes. The outcomes, in terms of their health screening results, have improved. Almost half of the bus captains with abnormal screening results initially showed at least one improvement, either in their blood pressure, blood glucose or cholesterol at their second health screening which was about eight months after the first one. And of these, about half achieved normal health status in all aspects of their health screening.”
“Thank you, Madam. I have the privilege of giving a response to Ms Joan Pereira and Ms Tin Pei Ling for their earlier cuts. Mdm Chair, Ms Joan Pereira and Ms Tin Pei Ling asked how the Government would promote good health in seniors and how we plan to encourage more seniors to participate in these health programmes. Indeed, health promotion is a key plank of our active ageing initiatives under the Ministerial Committee on Ageing. This is because good health is the basic condition for successful ageing. We will expand our efforts to promote seniors' health both in the workplace and in the community. Many of our seniors are still gainfully employed and this is a good thing. It is a good thing also in relation to mental health maintenance, as pointed out by many Members earlier. In order to further extend their longevity in the workforce, MOH and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) are bringing health screening and health education to the workplace and going "deeper" by customising the programmes for seniors working in different work environments. HPB started with a programme at the taxi service centres for taxi drivers of the ComfortDelGro group in June 2014. HPB knows that taxi drivers are always on the road and, therefore, have very little time to attend health-related activities. By observing their schedule, HPB found that taxi drivers need to send in their taxis for servicing every month and the golden opportunity to reach out to taxi drivers is, therefore, during this time when their taxis are being serviced and the taxi drivers are waiting for the taxis to be serviced. HPB brought health screening to the service centres and stationed health coaches there. Taxi drivers get to check in with the health coaches every month when they send their taxi for servicing.”
“Mr Chairman, still on this subject of retirement age. I agree with Minister Lim that the statutory retirement age works towards protecting the workers, giving them the right and peace of mind and confidence to work. My clarification is on the other end of it. Although the statutory retirement age in Singapore now is 62, there are companies in Singapore today, for example, companies under the ComfortDelgro group which have done their own calculations and have implemented company policy to retire or offer retirement age above the statutory retirement age – that is, 65 or 67 – and there are other companies in Singapore doing the same. That also then fits the company's or the industry's own realities and it offers the employees added assurance as well. So, my question to the Minister is whether the Ministry would consider that this is an area where the tripartite partners can work together on, to widen their awareness of this possibility, so that all companies can look at their situation and avail themselves and their workers of this option and possibility? 7.45 pm”
“If we press on, in 20 years, we shall build a great metropolis, worthy of a hardy, resilient and stout-hearted people." He is right. And it is now up to us to get it right and show that we can make it. Mdm Speaker, I support the Budget Statement.”
“There are companies in Singapore already doing that, as a matter of strategic recruitment, retention, redesign of jobs and work processes, use of assistive technologies to help overcome some of the expected physical deterioration with age, considerations of enhanced lighting and safety to minimise unnecessary injuries and, therefore, maximise the ability of the workforce to continue working without mishap and so on. We must make the working environment as ageless or age-neutral as possible, so that mature workers can be enabled to contribute as much as possible, for as long as possible. Many of them want to and companies will increasingly need such employees very much, even if some of them have yet to realise it at this point. Mdm Speaker, I was asked by a friend after Minister Heng delivered his Budget speech whether I thought that the measures he announced are enough to help Singapore's economy transform and whether I had hoped for more incentives in various places. I told this friend that, to me, the Budget had set the direction and positioned resources for companies and people to take advantage of, to help themselves, now and for the future. It is not a question of whether the Government could have doled out more money here or there. It is whether there is enough will; enough will to ride that rainbow and create that better future. Whether there is enough gumption to brave the challenges, and whether there is enough good sense to do it together. On 8 August 1972, speaking at the National Day Rally, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said this, and I quote: "A faint-hearted people would have given up long ago. We never gave in, never mind giving up. For that alone, we deserve to succeed.”
“Third, employers must not neglect the continued training and development of their mature employees. Such employees are more likely to want to stay on with the company, compared to the turnover rates that have been observed through surveys amongst the younger cohorts. This means that the effective runway for mature workers actually may not be shorter than that of younger workers. If their skills are kept up-to-date and sharpened, they will be an asset to the company. If they are neglected and rust away, then they lose employability and their companies lose capability. That would be a road that leads to mutual destruction. Page: 32 The 25 Sectoral Tripartite Committees (STCs) are now deliberating and devising Sectoral Manpower Plans to support the capability-building and development of their respective industries. I urge every STC to also detail a plan to help their industry sharpen and tap the value of a skilled mature workforce. Each STC must go beyond recommending paying more in the hope of getting additional skilled headcount from somewhere. There is also an STC for HR, and I urge HR STC to consider this demographic reality and see how best to equip and certify HR practitioners to help operationalise this for their companies and their industry. Fourth, efforts to enable workplaces to appreciate and fully tap contributions of mature workers must be stepped up. These include not only how to refine funding programmes, such as WorkPro, but also how to spur the adoption of successful age management methods. I cite some examples. These would include the redesign of HR policies. So, for example, where it makes sense, companies can consider retirement ages that are above the statutory retirement age, where it makes sense for the company.”
“Any company that does not ask these questions or figure out good answers to them is doomed to fail. Clearly, if one has to do more with less, then productivity and capability become the lifeblood. And just as clearly, if one has to hunt for headcount, then keeping the capable headcount that one already has becomes an act of self-preservation. Because there is no point losing what you have, or allowing what you have to waste away and then try in vain to recruit that younger person out there who may not be there. This is, to me, pure logic. In this area, I see that the Government is doing its utmost to help companies. First, the Government has earlier announced that it has accepted the tripartite recommendations to raise the re-employment age ceiling from 65 to 67. I urge the Minister for Manpower to make the specific announcement of when this will take place at the coming Committee of Supply. Mature workers reaching age 65 working for companies that strictly follow statutory ages will greatly appreciate that. And, by my analysis earlier, I think companies ought to welcome such a move. Second, I applaud the numerous measures announced by Minister Heng in encouraging employers to continue hiring mature workers. These measures include the earlier announced Wage Credit Scheme, the payouts have just been made, the extension of SEC as well as Enhanced Workfare Income Supplement to lower-wage mature workers, so that more may choose to remain in work. Referring to what Assoc Prof Randolph Tan has also mentioned just now, when he spoke about these being helpful measures from the heart, but what about the long term. I support this but, at the same time, my next point says that we have to balance these with continued investment in the skill sets of our mature workers.”
“The platforms through which goods and services are traded and money is made are all changing. This means that we have to consider our approaches carefully and adapt our ways to ensure that the Labour Movement remains relevant and effective in standing up and speaking up for workers, employees, income earners of all types at all levels. At the same time, we must continue to create this value for working people in ways that concurrently strengthen our national and sectoral tripartism. My fellow Labour Members will elaborate on the respective segments of the workforce that they are championing. For me, I would like to devote the rest of my speech to mature workers, a Page: 31 segment of fellow workers that I have long spoken up for. I would like to begin by drawing attention to the coming workforce and skills shortage. It may appear odd for me to allude to a coming workforce shortage at this point when we are voicing concern about the possible increase in retrenchments and unemployment resulting from slower growth expected this year. However, I have a basis for this. According to Government projections, the local workforce will peak around 2020, that is, four years from now. This is because the Baby Boomers leaving the workforce by then are estimated to roughly match the local new job entrants. Beyond 2025, more could be leaving than entering. Add to this is the need to maintain the local-foreign manpower ratio at a socially acceptable level, and you will immediately see that companies have to re-think their manpower strategy. At the minimum, they have to ask themselves two questions. Firstly, where are you going to get your headcount? Secondly, where are you going to get the skill sets you need?”
“It is definitely pouring resources into pre-employment and in-employment training, skills upgrading and retraining, through numerous initiatives, including SkillsFuture. This would be money necessarily spent and spent right, provided we elicit the right responses from those who can make things happen. And who are these? Companies and their employees. So, we have to ask: are our companies responding fast enough, with enough hunger, with enough fervour? Are our workers, at whatever level that they are at, clear enough about what they need to know, and fired up enough to take to learning what is required not only for now but for future employment and employability? On top of positioning funds and setting up entities and processes, we must also ask what else must we do to tap constructively into our common imagination and anxiety, to unite our spirit and to unleash its power, to mobilise our people into real and impactful action. I firmly believe that it is the effectiveness of this mobilisation that will ultimately determine our progress and success. The Labour Movement is keenly aware of our role as a social partner in nation-building. To help workers maximise employment, minimise unemployment and have a fair go at good jobs and prospects are our constant goals. Tripartism has been acknowledged as a significant national competitive advantage in attracting investments to create jobs for Singaporeans. The environment is changing. The types of industries and jobs in our economy are changing. The workforce's education profile is changing. The workforce age profile is changing. The nationality mix of the workforce is changing. The technology at work is changing. How people are earning a living – be it salaried, self-employed, hybrid – is changing.”
“Such was the boldness and audacity of the Lee Kuan Yew generation. Never faint-hearted. Always ready to look reality and obstacle in the eye, and then to find and fight a way forward through to victory. We must do likewise. Today's challenges are no doubt different from those of the initial Independence years. That is true. But one must never underestimate the difficulties faced then, or to give ourselves too many excuses now for not driving harder and smarter to change with the times, to adapt and stay relevant – to not only be busy but to mean business − so that we can continue to have a reason to be useful to the world and, thus, a reason to earn a good keep. Page: 30 Our productivity overall, minus the cyclical rebound, has been lacklustre in general. To me, this is worrisome. This is why I agree with Minister Heng that economic transformation for us is not only critical; it is urgent. There is no time to lose and a soft economy should not lull us into slackening our resolve. We must press ahead with structural and strategic reforms even as we tackle cyclical pain and strain. If we just march on the spot and productivity continues to be lacklustre, then other countries will surely catch up with us, close the distance and then, eventually, overtake us. Should that happen, then it would be a sad case of asking, "Who moved my cheese?" The Government is putting in place both constraints, for example, in a tighter foreign manpower policy, as well as incentives to nudge companies and industries away from overly manpower-intensive approaches towards manpower-lean ways. The Government is also investing very heavily in spurring innovation, technology adoption and process remakes.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to participate in this debate. I want to begin by stating what I hold to be a hard truth about Singapore's survival and prosperity. And that truth is that Singapore must recognise our innate strengths and weaknesses and find ways to make up for and transcend our weaknesses and, at the same time, figure out approaches to propel ourselves ahead of the other nations. This has been and remains the only viable way to continue to make a good living and secure a bright future for ourselves and our children in an uncertain and turbulent world. For this reason, three things in this year's Budget speech resonated with me strongly. Firstly, that the economic transformation is, in the words of Minister Heng, "urgent and critical"; secondly, that we must "spend right"; and, thirdly, that more than ever, there is a need to do "together" and to go beyond an expectation that it is sufficient for the Government to "do for us". And by "us", I mean the companies or people. It is going to be increasingly important. These three things are not only about specific Budget measures of where the funds and incentives are applied. It is not about where the money is going alone. I think these are three critical mindsets that all of us in Singapore must have, if we are to survive and thrive. Allow me, once again, to quote from our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I think this particular quotation is by now very familiar. He said, and I quote: "This country belongs to all of us. We made this country from nothing, from mud-flats. Over 100 years ago, this was a mud-flat, swamp. Today, this is a modern city. Ten years from now, this will be a metropolis. Never fear!" He said this at a grassroots event in Sembawang in September 1965.”
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that people are still generally reluctant to sell or partly lease-back their property in order to derive cash in old age, for cultural reasons. So, how then, if they have locked the money in there, can we help people make more rational allocations and monetisation? Finally, we must tap ever-improving assistive technology and world-class age management and job design practices in order to enable productive employment, regardless of age. Mr Deputy Speaker, the economy's chances of successful renewal and achieving a sustainable Singaporean Core rest squarely on how the Government and society rally and mobilise the entire population and workforce to lifelong learning, skills upgrading and adaptability. And this is not just a question about programming and funding. Page: 58 It is about clear-headedness, effort, judgement, perseverance and, above all, an unwavering commitment to creating a better future for each and for all. Our goal must be that every citizen is a stronger and more versatile person and that, together, we will build a more resilient and dynamic Singapore. To this end, I wholeheartedly support the Motion. 5.14 pm”
“This shows that enabling, giving a chance and a choice, is possible. If you think about it, think about what is it that makes a person employable, is it fitness, is it attitude, is it skills? Address those things. It can be done. There is also more that the tripartite partners can do to further bolster retirement adequacy provisions. For example, various measures were implemented in last year's Budget to boost that. From the CPF angle, higher CPF salary ceilings, higher Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) contribution cap; raising CPF contribution rates for older workers, equalising those aged 50 to 55 with younger workers; enhancing progressivity through extra CPF interest. The CPF LIFE scheme would also pay CPF members a stream of income in old age, with the Silver Support Scheme providing additional support for low-income seniors. We should continue to consider what further steps could be put in place, at the appropriate times, to enhance retirement adequacy through both CPF and non-CPF pathways. CPF contribution rate ceilings, differences and interest rates should, of course, be periodically reviewed to ensure that they keep in step with changes in, for example, nominal income, as well as changes in conditions of the labour and money markets. There should also be a deeper study of the apportionment of CPF savings between the various uses, to ensure that the original and primary purpose of the CPF scheme to help strengthen retirement adequacy is sufficiently assured. It is still common to hear the phrase "Asset Rich Cash Poor". Hence, the Government should also examine the experience of facilitating the monetisation of property assets in retirement.”
“Can there be more scope for customisation of arrangements according to industry or job types? How about, where there are company groups, the whole concept of where do you re-employ people to? Could it see a possible extension in a responsible way? These are some of the issues that I think are good for the tripartite partners to begin thinking about and discussing. I think there is also room for Government policy to be reviewed to enable more earning years in a responsible way. I will give Members an example. In June 2014, at my Meet-the-People session, one of my residents from Whampoa, Mr Ng, came to see me. Sixty-nine going on 70, he had a heavy vehicle licence and had been using that to drive heavy vehicles for a living for years and brought up a whole family. Problem was that the Page: 57 policy says that when you reach 70, you cannot renew that heavy vehicle licence which, to him, meant what was he going to earn a living with? I looked at him, he looked very fit, very alert and he said to me, "Send me to any health test, eye test, reflex test, test me. If I am good, let me through. If I am no good, stop me." I thought that was reasonable, I appealed for him. The appeal was rejected. I did not think it was right. I did not think it was fair. We must, of course, ensure safety for all road users. And I felt that appropriate tests, indeed, ought to be put in place to safeguard that aspect and then allow those who pass to continue earning a living. So, both he and I persisted in our appeals. And I was glad that the Government heeded the needs of groups of Singaporeans in that kind of situation and updated the policy. So, in December last year, it raised the age limit from 70 to 75, subject to the motorist passing specified medical and driving proficiency tests.”
“In order to avert this lose-lose scenario, HR systems, policies and training opportunities must certainly adapt to the evolving realities. Investment in mature workers' training and development, done over a longer time span and runway, certainly, is not about tokenism. It is not even about fairness. It is straightforwardly, in our case, about smart decision-making by those accountable for business continuity and competitiveness. If you have a mature worker, you may say, by way of analogy, that you have a saw. If you do not keep that saw sharp, you neglect to sharpen it, then you will find that your sawing operation will be less efficient. You created that result. Do not belittle or blame the saw. Madam, for our people to confidently make a good living in future, we must anchor our hopes on staying relevant to changing needs and being able to adapt quickly. At the same time, we must continue to innovate and enable options for more earning years. [Deputy Speaker (Mr Charles Chong) in the Chair] As of December last year, through surveys done by the NTUC, 85% of unionised companies are consciously employing workers beyond the age of 65. Tripartite partners are finalising the implementation schedule of raising the re-employment age ceiling from 65 to 67 and I am confident that the agreement will be made public soon. And with that, I think it sets the stage for us to, once again, think ahead to what may be possible beyond that. For example, can we conceive of giving workers the chance and the choice to work beyond 67 on a regular basis? And, if so, what safeguards would be necessary and appropriate to put in place to address both the interests, as well as the fears, of workers and companies?”
“This is because these trends actually help us focus and they help educate us that we must abandon the deep-seated assumptions and biases about this correlation between chronological age and one's potential and capabilities on the one hand; and on the other hand, it makes it crystal clear that all of us, regardless of age, the chances of being able to take up good jobs, of being able to be matched to good jobs when jobs are, perhaps, not as plentiful as before, rest upon continual broadening and deepening of capabilities. And, I say, regardless of age. Page: 56 The data also show us what our realistic options are in terms of our sources of manpower. In short, we have to make the best use of every single person. And if a segment in that workforce, namely, the older segment, is growing, then you want to make the best use of that certainly, especially when we are told by previous reports by MOM, by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) that this workforce will, in fact, peak, on an overall basis, sometime between 2020 and 2025. Foreign sources will not be easily available and have to continue to be tightly managed for social and security reasons. Mdm Speaker, numbers aside, there is also a rich store of value in mature working people, the value accumulated and distilled through years of experience, networking and overcoming challenges. If companies and industries fail to intelligently tap and hold on to persons with such valuable assets and lose them, say, through unnecessary and premature retirement or short-sighted retrenchments, then when they need them, they cannot find them, they lose important institutional memory, knowledge and expertise. This is, to my mind, the equivalent of inflicting upon themselves a form of corporate or industry dementia.”
“We hear much about the ever-accelerating pace of change in science, technology and societal tastes and norms. We acknowledge that whatever content we may learn in school and University will very quickly become obsolete as a result of this relentless whirlwind of change. The young people emerging from our institutes of learning in their twenties will also find themselves falling behind the technology curve within, let us say, 10 years of graduating and be considered by companies to be outdated if they have not kept up with upgrading. Thus, strangely, those younger in age are also feeling the pressure of obsolescence that we typically think are associated with people maybe 20, 30, 40 years their senior and the physical fitness that they have, conferred by youth, is not an antidote for that. MOM released today an Employment Report showing that net local jobs growth in the economy for 2015 has basically become flat, following more robust growth previously. So, it is continuing with its efforts to promote quality growth, to get quality jobs for locals, to maintain and strengthen the Singaporean Core, even as our economy and the local labour supply do not grow like before. I look at these trends with keen interest, because what do we make of them? My belief is that they do not necessarily bode ill for us, if we play our cards well.”
“If this growing segment is strong, healthy and capable, then we have an advantage nationally. If it is weak, sickly and outdated, we will have to find more resources in order to pay for its upkeep. This is a core part of our social and economic defence. If we look around us − and for those of us, middle-aged, you just look at our cohorts − I think it is fair to say that, by way of physical health, mature Singaporeans today at whatever chronological age are, on the whole, in a better shape than those of equivalent-age citizens two or three decades ago. And this has led some to say that the 60s are now the new 50s. This is an important notion, in my view, because if the condition of mature citizens today is equivalent to those much younger in days gone by and, with improved assistive technology and design that the physical disparities between the older and the younger could also be compensated for, then what does that mean? It means that we can and we must retune our thinking and mindsets about what each age cohort is capable of doing, not only as individuals but within corporations and for this country. The whole idea of what constitutes that bracket called "Working Age population" is itself shifting. It is expanding. And for us to fail to take note of this as individuals, as companies, as HR and companies, I think it is for us to live in the past and to be guilty not only of mindless ageism and misjudgement, but, indeed, of wasting national resources, to our own detriment. So, the old is, in a relative sense, getting younger. Interestingly, even as that is becoming clearer to us by the day, I think something quite the opposite is happening to those who are, by chronological age, younger.”
“Indeed, these are important elements of a successful society and nation because they help us imagine the ideal collective spirit of the nation that we should commit ourselves to protecting, to co-creating for the future. That said, it is equally important that we think clearly about what needs to be done to achieve those ends in practical terms and in practical ways. For today, I would just limit what I want to say in the context of a maturing population and local workforce. Madam, whenever people consider the future, sometimes, there is a tendency to speak in terms of the young inheriting the future. The young will certainly be there to inherit the future – that is true. But what is often assumed, perhaps not spoken, is that the older population has less of a part in that future because they are, willy-nilly, fading away, or that they are more there to be cared for than to contribute. And I think we must strenuously disabuse ourselves in Singapore of that notion and I would explain why. All of us know that we have an ageing population, brought about by ever-improving longevity and prolonged low birth rates. We are told that we have, by a recent count ,some 300,000 citizens above the age of 65 and that by the sheer movement of the baby boomers through time, that the number will triple to 900,000 or more by the year 2030. And, of course, if we were to count from those aged 50 and above, the numbers would be even bigger. Therefore, this is not a question of a possible black swan appearing on our horizon. This one needs no guesswork. It is an inescapable fact. The older population among us is not fading away. It is, in fact, an expanding segment. Page: 55 So, does it really matter if the older population is an expanding segment? The answer is yes, it does.”
“And we made it this far, taking those necessary and difficult decisions along the way, good leadership, good people working together. The next 50 years, totally different, we have arrived and it is just about aspirations – I do not think so. I think it is on top of these constraints. If anything, I think the world is becoming ever more complex, more difficult to deal with and, therefore, I say that the aspirations that we have, the values that we want to espouse, we build it on top of and never neglect that. So, Mr Low says that as a result of that, one thing that we have to do is to buy insurance for our political system. I ask Singaporeans to consider: in this world, where all the original constraints continue to bind us and it is becoming ever more complex, think of what insurance to buy. Yesterday, the Prime Minister spent a good deal of his speech explaining to Singaporeans and this House how we should enhance our system, precisely because – and he recognised that – we need that diversity of views. For one, for the NCMP system, he is expanding it not only in numbers but in the powers that they would have, voting in this House. Look at that. That is a practical example of a political party which understands what the people want and taking steps in order to ensure that their interest, what they want, is also reflected here. I say, buying insurance is correct, but please know which insurance policy you are considering. Madam, in this House, we have heard many adjectives used by our hon colleagues in their speeches these past few days describing the vision of the Singapore that they want to see – wise, united, confident.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join this debate. In the days of the Cold War, there was an East German person who braved the landmines and the machine gun fire in order to cross the border into West Germany to freedom. So, when he got to the other side, the Western media at that time were very interested to find out what happened – why this guy did this. And they were all gathered. The first one asked, "Why did you risk your life? I mean, you risked your life to run from communism to freedom. Therefore, what do you think of democracy and capitalism?" So, this man said, "I think democracy is chaotic and I think, in capitalism, men exploit men". This was not the sort of answer that the reporters had expected because this guy braved the machine guns. Stunned, they asked again, "If that is what you thought of democracy and capitalism, then why did you risk your life coming here?" The man thought for a moment and he said, "Because I think that there is more bread here." Mdm Speaker, certainly, man does not live by bread alone, but I think bread is also important. And before I go into my text for today, I just also wanted to reflect some of the things that Mr Low said just now. He said the first 50 years – not his exact words, but that is what I understood to be what he was saying – that it was a journey where Singapore came out of very difficult circumstances, hostile environment, hostile neighbourhood to make it this far and that the next 50 years is different and, Page: 54 therefore, we have to change the model of our boat. I say it is not so simple. I would agree that the first 50 years is a journey fraught with difficulties. We came out of difficult circumstances, people did not expect us to go very far or to survive very long.”
“Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Proper Accountability by Public Sector Entities for Public Resources 6.46 pm”
“Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the debate be now adjourned." [(proc text) Resolved, "That the debate be now adjourned." – [Mr Heng Chee How]. (proc text)]”
“00 pm Given the encouraging results of the pilots, we will extend workplace health programmes to other sectors and we are looking at retail and security for 2015. Workplace health is a meaningful area of tripartite collaboration. Workers benefit if they stay healthy longer and have the means to work longer, and concurrently save on healthcare cost by staying healthy. Employers also benefit, because mature workers who can work longer means additional manpower and being more healthy, they are certainly going to be more productive at work as well. As a whole, our nation benefits when we convert longer life years into longer healthy and productive ones. Page: 140”
“Together, these efforts will help reduce work-related injury or discomfort, a concern that Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef had also mentioned. Preliminary results of this pilot have been encouraging. To date, we have screened some 3,000 taxi drivers, of whom, more than 90% of them have since followed up with health coaching sessions. The next one would be on the cleaning sector. The second group that has been reached out to are mature cleaners. In September last year, through the network of the Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees' Union (BATU), we worked with a cleaning company RamkyCleantech to implement a workplace health programme for mature cleaners working at the Singapore Polytechnic. Under that programme, cleaners undergo health screenings and learn how to manage their chronic conditions. They also learn how to improve work habits for better pain management, especially of the joints. More than 60% of the 180 cleaners are now attending the coaching sessions regularly and participating in activities to strengthen their muscles and to lower the risk of falls. Sir, so what I wanted to say is that there is something about these two pilots. What we do with the mature workers in the two industries will be different because the nature of the work is different – one is sedentary and one involves a lot of joint movements. So, therefore, whilst mature workers are likely to have common challenges like chronic diseases, but because of the nature of their work, they may also face health challenges that are specific to their work. This is something we take note of in customising programmes for our mature workers. 6.”
“In addition, we are also bringing health promotion to workplaces so that we can also address the needs of our mature workers within the workplaces. In 2014, two pilot programmes were started: one in the transport industry and one in the cleaning sector. I will give a quick update on the two programmes. First, within the transport industry – taxi drivers. Taxi drivers often sit for long hours as they drive their taxis around during the shift and, because of that, being sedentary, there is little opportunity for physical exercise. So, in June last year, the Health Promotion Board, together with Alexandra Health System, partnered with Comfort DelGro and the SMRT, supported by the National Taxi Association, and started a workplace health pilot for drivers who are aged 40 and above. They brought health programmes to the taxi service centres, such that drivers can get "one for one" service. What happens is that, every month, the taxi driver will have to bring his taxi in for servicing and he has to wait a couple of hours pending the car being serviced. So, making use of that free time as he waits for the taxi, the driver can participate in health promotion programmes at the service centre. Under this programme, taxi drivers undergo health screenings, followed by individualised health coaching sessions where they learn how to improve their health, like exercising more regularly in the hours that they are not driving, as well as adopting a more healthy diet. Page: 139 The drivers also learn about the ergonomics of driving, like how to adopt the right posture while driving. Car decals are also given to our taxi drivers to remind them on how, even while seated, they might be able to do certain minor stretches.”
“Sir, I do understand that it is close to six o'clock. While we cannot say that it is early in the day, but I think the evening is still young. So, with your indulgence, Sir, I would like to speak a little bit about the effects of extended longevity in our population and ageing. Sir, ageing has certainly been much discussed and rightly so, since our population is ageing fast and, come 2030, one in five amongst us will be above 65 years old. We can certainly take advantage of our increased longevity and make ageing a positive experience. Page: 138 Earlier, Minister Gan spoke about the Action Plan for Successful Ageing and shared Singaporeans' aspirations on how to age successfully. And some of these relate to lifelong employment and employability of our seniors. During our focus group discussions, many participants had said that they wanted to be able to work into their senior years, past the retirement age, and to have a chance and the choice to do so. Because, to them, employment brings greater financial security and also keeps our seniors meaningfully occupied and mentally active. Also, work gives a sense of fulfilment and self-worth. Ms Ellen Lee asked how we will help seniors stay healthy longer so that they can remain employed and employable. We are investing in health promotion for seniors in two ways. First, within the community, we started the Wellness Programme in 2008 and it has since been implemented nationwide. The Wellness Programme encourages seniors to look after their health, as well as to stay physically active and socially connected. As at the end of last year, the programme has reached out to some 400,000 seniors.”
“All citizens are automatically included and there is no opting out, so coverage is lifelong. With substantial Government subsidies, the premiums will also be kept affordable on an on-going basis and offer good value for money. 3.30 pm There are still important hurdles to be overcome. For example, the MediShield Life offers B2/C inpatient treatment coverage, whereas more than one in three workers are covered in the company group health insurance policies at ward classes above B2/C. There are also no details on the MediShield Life B1 product, such as its premium structure and whether it would exclude the pre-existing conditions. The questions of how to move from first-dollar-coverage company group health insurance coverage to portable arrangements where deductibles and co-payments apply must still be tackled. It is not that easy. Nonetheless, I feel that, this time, the gap has at least been narrowed and there is a fighting chance for PMBS at B2/C level to become a basic company level insurance coverage economy wide, with employers incentivising workers to defray their premiums for MediShield Life and anticipated deductibles and co-payment riders, and the Government perhaps incentivising employers to move decisively in that direction. I wish to ask when will the B1 ward coverage details be made available, so that companies are in a better position also to gauge how they can potentially transit their workers, whether into the B2/C standard coverage or perhaps even the possibility of considering beyond that and what particular arrangements. I also wish to find out if the Government would consider enhancing the tax incentives for companies to move to PMBS, with particular emphasis on building company level coverage upon the MediShield Life Page: 97 scheme. Long-term Care”
“Mdm Chair, some 10 years ago, the Labour Movement advocated the concept of Portable Medical Benefits (PMBS) for workers. The rationale behind that was that with continuous economic and company restructuring, workers are likely to work with several organisations in the course of their working lives. Without the stability and security of a medical benefit insurance that covers them throughout their working lives, they may be caught out badly if they should fall seriously ill while being in between jobs, or when working for a company with little or no medical insurance coverage. At that time, the national MediShield system was already in place. However, it did not fully serve as the de facto portable medical benefits system for workers and companies. This Page: 96 was because of its relatively low payouts, caps and limits, and also because workers are expected to claim against their company insurance policies before claiming against MediShield. At the company level, it was also difficult to make PMBS work, because of exclusions for pre-existing conditions and how workers should be incentivised to move from first-dollar-coverage company group health insurance coverage to portable arrangements where deductibles and co-payments apply. The tax incentives given to companies to move to PMBS were also not considered attractive by some companies, given the complexities involved. As a result of all these, that effort toward the PMBS did not succeed. The coming of MediShield Life by the end of this year offers a fresh chance to push this important concept to better protect workers. Unlike the original MediShield, MediShield Life helps overcome several critical problems. It does not exclude pre-existing conditions and it has no lifetime claim limit.”
“Mdm Chair, last year, the Prime Minister in his National Day Rally speech said that the Public Service can and will do more to support the aspirations of non-graduates. Currently, most non-graduates and graduates join the Civil Service under the Management Support Scheme (MSS) and Management Executive Scheme (MXS) respectively. Management Support Officers (MSOs) can already progress to take on similar jobs as those of graduates and be paid comparable Page: 56 salaries. Following the Prime Minister's National Day Rally speech, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced that there would be faster career progression for MSOs from October 2014 and that more graduate and non-graduate schemes would be merged. I understand that the PSD has since carried out a review of the MSS and MXS schemes of service with this in mind. I would like to ask for an update on the outcome of this review and how it can position the Civil Service as an early adopter and good exemplar of the recommendations of the ASPIRE Committee in recognising, developing, tapping and rewarding the talent and performance of both graduates and non-graduates within the Public Service. Hiring and Promotion in Civil Service”
“First, the tripartite partners have agreed that given the realities of Singapore's ageing population, every effort must be put into enabling workers who are willing and able to work, a chance and a choice to do so. Second, studies have shown that mature workers are much less likely than their younger counterparts to switch jobs. Thus, the assumption that there is insufficient runway to get a good payback on investment in training and skills upgrading of mature workers must be strenuously tackled. Mature workers must also recognise that the ultimate safeguard against unemployment would be to stay in demand. Their initiative and willingness to invest time and effort in upgrading and updating themselves will be the best insurance they can get. In light of this Budget and the SkillsFuture Council's intent to invest in Singaporeans of all ages, I wish to ask for an elaboration of what would be done to invigorate investment in the training and skills upgrading of mature workers, so that their continued employment and employability would be further strengthened and so that companies can more fully tap the potential and value of their mature workers.”
“I wish to ask for an assessment from the MOM on how WorkPro has been effective in addressing the mental and practical hurdles described earlier to produce pervasive impact, and what more needs to be done to accelerate the pace of such redesign towards ageless jobs in both the private and public sectors. Evergreen Workers My third cut is on evergreen workers. The employment rate for older workers has been on the rise in recent years, reaching a record high of 66.3% in 2014 for the age band 55 to 64 years old. While this is very encouraging, we must also know that this did not happen by chance. I believe that three factors helped to push up the employment rate for older workers. First, the coming into effect of the re-employment law in 2012. Second, a very tight labour market. Third, mature workers maintaining relevant skillsets and performance. None Page: 92 of these factors on their own would be sufficient to cause the result. In particular, we must not assume that the labour market will forever be tight, just because we have tightened foreign manpower policies. This is because the economy and the jobs it carries are subject to business cycles and there will be ups and downs. The one factor that is available to both companies and workers to actively invest in is the training and skills upgrading of workers. There is still a mindset amongst organisations and their human resource or operations functions that is not for continued investment in the mature workforce. The feeling in such organisations is that mature workers are nearing the end of their working life with the companies and investments in them would not be worthwhile. I challenge this mindset for two reasons.”