Singapore to develop new ways to get elderly citizens to wor
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Interesting word usage of get versus help. I thought I was reading theonion.sg for a minute. Bless them all.
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Singapore to develop new ways to get elderly citizens to work longer
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 08 January 2009 1551 hrs
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Singapore to develop new ways to get elderly citizens to work longer SINGAPORE: Singapore will need to develop new arrangements to help the elderly work as long as they can.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said one such feature in place is getting companies to rehire workers aged 62 years for another three years till 65. But that could mean taking up a different job at a lower pay.
Housekeeping is not the most sought-after job, but someone has to do it.
66-year-old Lee Lai Eng has been working as a housekeeper for over 20 years. The grandmother of four chose to continue working six days a week, eight hours each day, even after retirement.
Even though she gets the same pay as her younger colleagues, the former nurse feels empowered by her added responsibilities as a housekeeping trainer. She is also glad that being employed means her medical needs are taken care of by the company.
Madam Lee said: "My children have asked me to stop work, but it is hard." She said she prefers to be independent financially. "I prefer to be free."
"Pay is important, but I feel that I don't need so much money since I'm so old," said Madam Lee.
That is something Prime Minister Lee will be glad to hear.
Speaking at Singapore's first Retirement Conference on Thursday, he said social attitudes must change.
"The job of hotel attendant may be a humble one, but it is an honourable employment. We should not discourage anyone from taking on such jobs. To do so would limit his options to be active, engaged and to earn an income," Mr Lee said.
"They need to be ready to adjust to different responsibilities, and possibly lighter work and less pay and understandably, these adjustments are harder to accept," he added.
Besides attitudes, Mr Lee said wage structures - where workers get paid according to the number of years on the job - must also change with the times, so that companies will hire more older workers instead of younger and cheaper ones.
The labour movement is working with companies to make older workers' wage structure more competitive so that it is easier for them to stay employed.
NTUC deputy secretary-general, Heng Chee How, said: "For the older workers, you are looking at aspects of health, you're looking at aspects of skills, you're looking at aspects of job performance.
"And all these are specific areas that must be further enhanced because as the population ages, you'll have more and more older workers. They'll have to work longer and they'd want to work longer."
The unions are also working with companies to help older workers find and keep jobs during this downturn.
Union leaders say they are working with companies to encourage them to send not just the younger workers for retraining but the older ones as well, as part of the government's S$600m skills upgrading scheme.
- CNA/ir -
Maybe if we stop recruiting foriegn talents. We might have more older folks working.
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Has it ever occur to this godly elite that when u get older, u do not have the strength and ability to handle more menial chores + a pitiful salary. I cannot imagine letting my mom lift those heavy mattress up and then having to change so many beds everyday and walking around doing the tough job. It's not that we think the job makes us lose our faces or what but it hurts to see our old parents still working such a hard up job. The elderly folks are getting weaker as they progress and they shouldnt be doing all these menial chores, can their body take it?
No one is like his papa who has a luxurious life of sitting in a 18 degree aircon room and earning millions a year, why not let his papa do it? why not practice what he preach b4 opening his stinky mouth?
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Thing is, our parents has to be working longer because they need the money.
Some of us children cannot take care of the old because there is new family to take care of.
Or in some cases, the parents need to work, to earn money to feed their overgrown children still living and relying on them.
And the old folks dont want to burden the children.
So they have to work. It will be nicer if they let the old folks into jobs which they do best, instead of menial jobs that pays so little, using the excuse that old folks should work.
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Originally posted by viciouskitty74:
Thing is, our parents has to be working longer because they need the money.
Some of us children cannot take care of the old because there is new family to take care of.
Or in some cases, the parents need to work, to earn money to feed their overgrown children still living and relying on them.
And the old folks dont want to burden the children.
So they have to work. It will be nicer if they let the old folks into jobs which they do best, instead of menial jobs that pays so little, using the excuse that old folks should work.
That would be difficult, most of the old folks now are from lowly educated backgrounds so they don't really have much other employment options.
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some old ppl dun like other ppl to think tt they are 没有用
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Originally posted by viciouskitty74:
Maybe if we stop recruiting foriegn talents. We might have more older folks working.
Well said. totally agree.
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Originally posted by viciouskitty74:
Maybe if we stop recruiting foriegn talents. We might have more older folks working.
Double post.
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click to link:
hourly rate
When you work as a part time worker in Tokyo, the average hourly rate for any kind of part time work ranges from 800-1000 yen an hour. IF you work early mornings or late nights, then the hourly salary may go up to more than 1000 yen.
850 yen - the starting hourly wage being offered to folks who join Mc Donald's as a part timer.
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The despots like to cite the number of old people working in Japan.... but conveniently ignore the amount of money they are paid compared to here....
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sometimes is not a matter of whether these old folks wants to work or not..is whether they have the ability to work?
it is dependable on the employers also..if u are given a choice (i) cheap wages, strong BANGLAS (ii) cheap PRC labour (iii) elderies whose movement might not be as flexible as the above 2 options..who will u choose?..
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Originally posted by miNty`:
sometimes is not a matter of whether these old folks wants to work or not..is whether they have the ability to work?
it is dependable on the employers also..if u are given a choice (i) cheap wages, strong BANGLAS (ii) cheap PRC labour (iii) elderies whose movement might not be as flexible as the above 2 options..who will u choose?..
i choose the bangalas, prc guys and mynmars, cheap, strong and some very handsome too...please dun call ah ma and ah kong to work ya...life is already stressful during their young times,..they should be enjoying their golden age -
work longer, harder with less pay when one is old and feeble. Seriously if this is the future for Singaporeans, then there is no point staying here
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old still must work.... sigh
really work till death
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Originally posted by Gensis:
old still must work.... sigh
really work till death
after death also must work... -
Not every one is Lee Kuan Yew OKAY!
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Originally posted by angel7030:
i choose the bangalas, prc guys and mynmars, cheap, strong and some very handsome too...please dun call ah ma and ah kong to work ya...life is already stressful during their young times,..they should be enjoying their golden age
even from most employers pt of view..they also don't want to hire ah gong & ah mas..becuz they are slower with their reflexes..tendency to get forgetful..aiya..gah-men said so much becuz they don't want to have the social responsibility to take of the old folks mah..hence, come out with this "take care of yourself by working till the day that u die" kind of campaign =.='''
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Originally posted by youyayu:
Not every one is Lee Kuan Yew OKAY!
everyone can be lee kuan yew if his/her paid is about 100k per month, why not, so easy,...talk talk here, cut ribbons there, and still got time to write books and travel in high class too -
Originally posted by miNty`:
even from most employers pt of view..they also don't want to hire ah gong & ah mas..becuz they are slower with their reflexes..tendency to get forgetful..aiya..gah-men said so much becuz they don't want to have the social responsibility to take of the old folks mah..hence, come out with this "take care of yourself by working till the day that u die" kind of campaign =.='''
It is those Government Linked Companies who will take the initiatives to employ older workers, private companies will not employ them, cos medical is a problem too. And management also dun like to scold ah ma and ah kong, sound like bullying old peoples.
We are facing an aging population, no doubt about it, there are more grey hair on the street than 10 years ago when i was in primary 5, everywhere i turned is uncles, ah pek, ah ma and aunties..only foreigners look young, without it population to support, i guess singapore is doom.
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The situation can be made even worse through the use of technology...
Government ask scientists to make a body exchange kit. When the body of the elderly expires, they automatically 'transfer' them to the new body which is young and strong...
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Originally posted by angel7030:
It is those Government Linked Companies who will take the initiatives to employ older workers, private companies will not employ them, cos medical is a problem too. And management also dun like to scold ah ma and ah kong, sound like bullying old peoples.
We are facing an aging population, no doubt about it, there are more grey hair on the street than 10 years ago when i was in primary 5, everywhere i turned is uncles, ah pek, ah ma and aunties..only foreigners look young, without it population to support, i guess singapore is doom.
that's why gah-men now kept emphasizing on ageing population..implementation of plans to take care of this problem by delaying retirement age..increasing the min. amt to be saved in CPF a/c, encouraging the elderies to work in order to support themselves etc..and, their on-going campaign to encourage S'poreans to give birth to more babies with the Baby bonus bait, childcare leave etc..so that when these batch of babies grow up, the burden of taking care of the elderies will fall on them...
and, so that the gah-men will be rid of ageing population problem =D
bt seriously..not all employers will want to hire the elderies..like what u said..only Govt-Linked companies or subsidiaries..but what kind of jobs can they offer? Pantry jobs are better..the rest will be like cleaner..imagine how tough it is for an eldery to bend down his backbone to scrub the floor, slippery floor & elderies have the tendancy to fall down easily..
Conclusion : Saying is easier than Doing
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Sigh, and the old folks most likely are clearing their CPF, or like one of my ah sir, he very cute.
He reached 55 and made a appointment to go down with his wife to see what else was in his CPF.
The guy at the counter there tells him that there is about $5000/- in his CPF.
So ah sir say ok lor, give me a cheque.
So while someone in the back room was preparing the cheque, the counter guy keep trying to tell my ah sir, not to take out the money lah, keep some in the cpf account lah, buy this insurance, buy that plan lah.
Ah sir got fed up after a while and say, in his normal nice voice to the counter guy:
"I dont need all these stuffs lah, see that (point to wife.) I not taking the money out to feed china women, my wife is here."
To which, the wife snorted and speak up: "$5k nia, china women also wont be interested lah."
At the end of the day, when he relate how the counter guy shut up about trying to sell whatever scheme to my ah sir, we laughed. Then I jokingly tell my ah sir
"Sir, not enough to feed china women, but enough to feed me lah. You give me that 5k feed me lor; I can even return interest."
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the system is screwed already. then all these mindless drones saying stupid things just make it worse.
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GOOD NEWS FOR SINGAPOREAN ELDERLY!!!!
This means more senior minister and mentor minister posts to be made available!!!
Good news indeed!!!!!
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not get elderly to retire comfortably but work longer.