Policies help extend working lives, but what can older workers do about workplace difficulties?

After serving the same organisation for more than 10 years, Chen Longshan was re-employed last year as he approached his 63rd birthday. He gratefully signed the re-employment contract, but three months later was told that his role would change. His systems management duties would be handed to colleagues, while he would be moved to a procurement role — work he had never done before.

In his younger days, Chen studied for a technology-related diploma, proceeding to work in the technological field for many years. He had no experience in procurement, however, so he decided to resign, hoping to continue putting his skills to use.

In the year or so since leaving, Chen has enrolled in courses and sent more than 50 job applications to various organisations, but has yet to receive a positive response. With few options left, he decided to obtain a taxi driver's licence and earn a living in a new line of work.

The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment released its report, Building Age-Friendly Jobs and Multi-Generational Workplaces, on Monday (26 October), seeking greater protection for older people who wish to remain employed. It recommended that the government raise the statutory retirement and re-employment ages to 65 and 70 respectively from 1 January 2029, increase Earned Income Relief for employees who have reached the statutory retirement and re-employment ages and introduce a re-employment subsidy scheme.

Despite strong government support for extending working lives, older employees such as Chen may still face difficulties, and even discrimination, at work.

Anna (not her real name), who is 63 this year, switched to the food and beverage industry seven or eight years ago. She eventually became a baking assistant at a central kitchen, where she faced age discrimination from colleagues.

“Some bosses can be very accommodating and give you opportunities, but when you come to the managers in charge, that is where the nasty words and pressure may make you give up,” Anna said.

She said colleagues had given her the cold shoulder, made snide remarks and even humiliated her to her face with hurtful comments such as “This place is for working, not learning” and “I like young people, I don't like old people”.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Desmond Tan, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), said NTUC has always sought to provide workers with greater protection and support. For example, its Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) recently launched the Senior PMET Career Support framework for senior professionals, managers, executives and technicians.

“Our older workers have a wealth of experience and skills. We hope employers will value these attributes and continue to employ them.”

For older people who want to keep working or return to the workforce but struggle to find opportunities, the advice from Edwin Tan, director at the Centre for Skills-First Practices with the Institute for Adult Learning, is to take a skills-first approach. Keeping their skills and experience relevant will help them avoid being constrained by their age or academic qualifications.

He also suggested that “they can leverage their networks for job recommendations, beyond relying on online job application.”

Tan said employers also have a role to play by creating opportunities for experienced workers to continue learning, take on new responsibilities and apply their expertise in different ways. Workplace learning, job redesign and redeployment can help organisations make better use of experienced talent while supporting workers to adapt to changing job demands.

Under the Retirement and Re-employment Act, employers who cannot re-employ eligible employees must provide a one-off Employment Assistance Payment, based on the employee's salary, to help tide them over while they look for work.

NTUC PME Consultant Loh Pei Zhen, 44, who has 15 years of experience as a career mentor, once helped an employee who was not re-employed recover her Employment Assistance Payment. She said in an interview: “A dispute subsequently arose over her Employment Assistance Payment (EAP), with the company initially paying S$8,500 instead of the maximum payout of S$14,750 that the member believed she was entitled to.”

NTUC intervened and eventually secured an assistance payment of S$14,750 for the employee.