Veteran unionist and assistant secretary-general, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Madam Halimah Yacob packs more in her day than most do in a week. The first Singaporean elected to the International Labour Organisation, she is a practiced politician, ardent campaigner for the rights of Singaporean workers, mother of five - and the unions' representative at the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers.
'It's a big issue because the participation rates are much lower than many other countries,' she shares about Singapore's greying workforce. Despite employment creation at a four-year high (78,000 in September last year, as per the Ministry of Manpower's Labour Report for 3Q 2005), older workers aged 55 to 59 comprise only 55% of labour force, and dips to 35% for those aged 60 to 65. Further, 47,900 workers above the age of 40 (half the total unemployment figure) were jobless as of June 2005. This number could be even higher in reality, as some may have given up their job search and hence are not included in the statistics.
'The problem is that we are living longer, but our labour force participation rates for older workers are much lower. That is a cause for concern, because, with the longer life span, they need a steady source of income to sustain themselves once they drop out of the labour market,' she says.
Employment vs. employability
Still, though the need for employment for older workers is easily understood, and accepted, their employability is less so. "There are deep seated prejudices against older workers who are seen as less productive, more costly and less adaptable," she tells us. This is a largely mistaken perception, she adds, because they "are loyal, have the experience and it is a waste not to make use of them when we have a large presence of foreign workers and there are many sectors that are still in need of workers."
However, a "mismatch between the jobs available and the skills that workers have" may diminish the actual number of openings suitable for older workers, she admits, especially for those who are 'less educated, the majority of them with less than secondary, or lower secondary education, [and with] less skills'. This group, in fact, "will face the greatest difficulty in getting a job".
Turning things around
To turn this situation around, prevailing attitudes, above all else, must change. "The biggest challenge is the mindset on the part of employers especially. These tend to stereotype older workers as not having the skills, not able to do the job, not productive, not healthy, and will incur higher medical costs. That is the kind of mindset that sometimes stands in the way of those wanting to recruit older workers," Mdm Halimah explains. "So first we must encourage employers to change their mindset, perceptions, stereotypes about older workers... Employers must be prepared to go beyond lip service in providing employment opportunities for older workers. This entails adopting a proactive policy to recruit, retrain and retain older workers."
She emphasises too, that this change cannot be a single-party effort. "I am not saying that the older workers don't need to change their mindsets as well," she highlights. "Older workers must be prepared to invest in themselves. The days when you join a company and expect to retire in that job is long over. We have to recognise that. This is a period of globalisation accompanied by rapid changes in the economy and company, and we must be prepared to change and adapt accordingly. Whether it means acquiring new skills, or being prepared to work in a different way. you basically have to learn to let go of the past and embrace the new," she exhorts.
In addition, health concerns are of increasing pertinence, especially for mature workers as the escalating cost of healthcare is a high-level concern with employers. "We as individuals and workers must also be prepared to take care of ourselves so that we don't become a liability," she observes.
However, support for the top, 'the [real] question is how we turn older workers into a value-adding asset to the organisation,' Mdm Halimah points out. This is where a partnership between the government and union via programmes like the Job Recreation Programme and the Skills Redevelopment Programme.
On the policy level, companies should demonstrate 'a willingness to adopt a deliberate policy of recruiting older workers' Mdm Halimah feels. To begin with, the public sector - Singapore's largest employer - has to 'walk the talk'. Currently, 14% of new hires are above 40 - a number that should be increased to 20%, she feels, and a situation that the newly-established National Tripartite Committee on the Employability of Older Workers is looking into.
However, the private sector has to do its part as well, she points out. Although she does not suggest that Singapore emulate Australia's move in legislating against the discrimination of older workers or Japan's example of obligatory re-employment to workers above 62, she stresses, the pressure for Singapore to follow suit would intensify if employers continue to discriminate against mature workers - and hence ultimately restrict their flexibility in managing their affairs.
"There is also a need to redesign work," she tells us. "Some jobs require people to stand 12 hours a day. If you are 20 or 30 years old, it's okay, but by the time you're in your 40s or 50s, standing throughout a 12-hour shift can be quite a killer," she explains, adding that sometimes, mature workers reject job opportunities "not because they have poor attitude, but it's just not [ergonomically or physically] possible".
As a result, top-down support is critical. 'I believe it has to be driven by the top leadership. If the human resource people push, it's not going to work,' she states.
Foreign policies
The issue of our greying workforce, Mdm Halimah feels, also springs from our easy access to foreign labour. "When I read about countries like Japan and Europe, and when I attend conferences and the like, I sense that this is not such a big issue there," she shares, attributing this partially to the "fairly closed labour markets" in these countries. "I'm not making a judgement whether it's good or bad," she emphasises, "We know that in Singapore, we cannot have a closed labour market. We all accept that."
However, "in sectors, because of the huge presence, there is easy availability... Somehow, employers will say, 'We have an option - we just make use of foreign workers', and they are not forced to be more creative," she highlights.
With the government's recent move to allow employers in the manufacturing and services sectors to exceed the dependency ceiling for foreign workers, companies have been given greater flexibility in hiring - but this is accompanied by fears that this might become a 'back-door' through which more and more foreign workers are brought in, thus undermining the current job redesign efforts.
Thus, "in those sectors where Singaporeans can be trained, a tweaking of the foreign workers' quota is necessary," she adds. "Because if we don't do so, we will continue to have this problem."
Concrete action needed
At the national level, this issue is high on NTUC's priorities, and Singapore is following Japan's lead in this respect. A recent Tripartite delegation to Japan, led by minister of state for education and manpower Gan Kim Yong, studied the new wage scheme implemented by the Japanese government. This scheme is a step in the right direction, as it 'does not just look at the seniority of a person, but looks at the person's skills, competencies, capabilities, performance.irrespective of age.' As a result, Madam Halimah shares, 'The older worker is prepared [with a] mindset which must not be how long one works, but really the contribution one makes'.'
That, perhaps, is the way to go, but for now, a scheme like this is still under consideration. But one thing is certain: for these schemes and programmes to work, she concludes, "Employers need to go beyond lip service in supporting the employment of older workers, and actually demonstrate their support though concrete action." HRM