Old Fart: Sporns Need to Work Till DEATH! Accept it as FACT!

[makapaaa]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=452 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published January 9, 2009

</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Working longer best option for an ageing population: PM Lee
Push to re-employ older workers modestly successful

By CHUANG PECK MING
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(SINGAPORE) Working longer is the best way for Singaporeans to adjust to an ageing population, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The government aims to push the employment of these older workers (aged between 55 and 64) up from 57 per cent in 2008 to 65 per cent by 2012.
Employment laws are being updated and structures being put in place to encourage older workers to continue working. Mr Lee was speaking yesterday at a two-day conference called 'Reinventing Retirement Asia'.
While the official retirement age is 62, Mr Lee noted that only six in 10 men are still working at this age. The figure for women is even smaller.
'Simply raising the retirement age will not magically keep older workers employed longer,' he said.
So the government has followed the Japanese example and made it compulsory for companies to offer re-employment to workers at 62 for another three years, Mr Lee said.
The workers need not be re-hired in the same job or at the same pay.
The re-employment law will come into effect in 2012 but the government, with the help of employers and unions, has already started pushing for it to be implemented.
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>'Our efforts have been modestly successful,' Mr Lee said. 'The employment rate of workers aged 55 to 64 has risen steadily, but we still have some way to go.'
Old attitudes and set-ups belonging to the days when Singapore had a younger population and life expectancies were shorter, must change for Singaporeans to face the new reality, he said.
Mr Lee noted that one fifth of Singapore's population will be 65 years and older by 2030. This is nearly one million people, three times the number today.
Pushing for companies to value older workers - and retain them - he said: 'Employers need to appreciate that older workers, with their years of experience, wisdom and loyalty, can be a valuable resource at the workplace. Companies can modify job specifications and operations or redesign work for their older employees.'
The conference is hosted by AARP, a non-profit American organisation that helps people 50 years and older to stand on their own feet; and Council for Third Age, an independent body in Singapore that promotes active ageing.
Workers must also play their part, according to Mr Lee. While workers are prepared to work longer, he said 'they need to be ready to adjust to different responsibilities, and possibly lighter work at less pay'.
And while the current economic downturn would make it tough, he said 'we should not lose the ground that we have arduously won over the last few years, getting more older people to continue working'.
Ageing of the population brings complex and multi-faceted challenges, Mr Lee said. 'While we should not understate these challenges, we should be mindful that living longer is not a bad thing.'
'People today can lead longer lives because they are generally healthier, and enjoy better medical care than their forebears,' he said. 'They are better educated and can continue to contribute in the workforce and community for many more years.'
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[xebay11]

Hey this is good news for many, the bigger problem is many Singaporeans would have lost their jobs the moment they turned 40, they need to address this first.

 

[Satan]

Hey this is good news for many, the bigger problem is many Singaporeans would have lost their jobs the moment they turned 40, they need to address this first.

This addressing is not quite for white collar jobs. This bapok Ass Loong is advocating that Singaporeans should go on working even they are picking cardboards or selling tissues in their old age.

 

[The_Latest_H]

Retirement should be a right, not a privileged few. Therefore only if they refuse retirement should they work.

And furthermore, it's disgusting to see former white and blue collar workers who used to work good jobs in a dignified way to be subjected to work in McDonalds or as an toilet cleaner, or even collecting cardboards, just because they are old.

Compared to old Australians, they are far from being fortunate. Old people are getting screwed by the PAP here- and these were the people who heeded LKY's call to work rapidly in order to make Singapore progress faster, and to prove Malaysia wrong.

 

[batman1]

May retribution befall on the Pinkie Elites .