Mature but still productive: Will firms hire them?

Employers need to change mindset about older workers, say various agencies

- Chin Soo Fang

Mr Muhamad Nor Ali considers himself "a lucky man".

In 2021, he started work as a cleaner, but left after three years due to the "difficult working environment" and differences with colleagues.

A week later, the 70-year-old chanced upon a job posting with integrated facilities management firm UEMS Solutions, and secured a job as a healthcare porter with the National University Hospital in January 2024.

He is given his preferred flexible working hours - from 7am to 3pm.

The company also provides training on handling patients.

"It's a senior-friendly environment with many seniors, so I don't feel out of place," he said. "I want to work for as long as I can because it keeps my mind and body active, and gives me a sense of purpose." In 2021, before he became a cleaner, he had left his job of 40 years as a delivery driver due to his deteriorating eyesight.

Unlike Mr Muhamad Nor Ali, many older workers find it difficult to get work, with recruitment and social service agencies saying employers need to change their mindset as Singapore raises its retirement age in the years to come.

The Government announced in March 2024 that workers who want to work longer will have longer statutory protections with the raising of Singapore's retirement age from 63 to 64 on July 1, 2026.

This is part of a move to progressively increase the retirement age in Singapore to 65 by 2030.

The re-employment age will likewise go up, from 68 to 69. Companies must offer eligible staff reemployment until that age, though on adjusted terms if necessary, or offer employment assistance in its place.

Singapore, which will have one in four citizens aged 65 and above by 2030, has the third-highest employment rate for workers aged 65 to 69 among countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.