REACH (Telegram) 109 - What are your views on efforts to boost senior employment?

(SK)

19 Nov 2025 (10am - 7pm)

REACH (Telegram)

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 9:45 am]

Dear Contributors,

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REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 10:00 am]

📢 Topic 📢

The Alliance for Action on Empowering Multi-Stage Careers for Mature Workers (AfA-EMW) was officially launched on Monday (17 Nov), and will provide funding support to 32 organisations trialling solutions to boost senior employment in Singapore in the coming months. These organisations will test approaches like fractional work, traineeships and training tailored for senior workers.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said "The prototypes developed by these organisations will provide us with valuable insights and practical solutions. Where feasible, we hope to share and scale it across different sectors".

💬 What are your views on efforts to boost senior employment?

📌 Need for a fundamental shift in mindset

Dr Koh, the co-chair of the tripartite work group on senior employment formed earlier this year, pointed to the profound demographic shift Singapore is undergoing. Dr Koh said "Beyond existing broad-based policies, we move now to empowering organisations and workers to harness the strengths of senior workers and help workers fulfil their career aspirations," and called for a “fundamental shift in mindsets".

📌 Prototypes Being Rolled out

▶️Fractional work

Fractional work involves seniors offering offering specialised skills on a part-time basis, at a fraction of the time of a full-time employee. The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises is developing a fractional talent model to help SMEs engage senior professionals on a part-time or project basis, while caregiving platform Homage will trial a pathway to recruit, train and deploy 275 professionals aged 40 and above as care aides and teaching assistants. This will involve redesigning full-time roles into fractionalised positions and encouraging social service agencies to hire mid-career workers.

▶️Traineeships and internships

Air cargo handler and caterer SATS is developing part-time internships for mature professionals to re-enter the workforce. SBS Transit will also be exploring a 12-month traineeship programme that exposes mid-career candidates to bus captain and bus operations roles before considering them for permanent positions.

▶️Flexible work arrangements

Transport provider Tower Transit is designing a rostering policy for bus captains aged 63 to 74 that gives them a balance of regular and less physically demanding shifts. It is also developing a "dual vocation" model for older bus captains to alternate between driving and less physically intensive work. On top of this, Kampong Kapor Community Services is targeting a gig work programme for social service professionals aged 40 and above which will involve re-engaging experienced social workers and counsellors through gig roles.

Multinational corporations like chipmaker Micron Technology and HSBC are also among the participants. The programme will feature targeted outreach, structured onboarding and mentoring for these workers.

👉https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/senior-mature-workers-employment-jobs-fractional-work-5472106

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Daniel, [19/11/2025 10:05 am]

I think this is a great initiative. If done correctly, it could help young seniors to stay active and involved while staying financially independent and also allows to alleviate labour shortages and reliance on foreign workforce.

I think the main challenges is to ensure that these seniors remain properly remunerated (not just using this as an opportunity to downgrade people's salary on retirement age for no reason) and to make sure that this doesn't create pressure on seniors staying employed when they'd rather retire. (Has to be voluntarily, it should remain possible and financially viable to retire)

365, [19/11/2025 10:10 am]

Additional options are always welcomed. As long as the renumeration is reasonable and commensurate to the efforts of the work (not being taken advantage of), I don't think there's any downsides.

For those that want to rest and relax at the advanced age, they can continue to do so.

For those that still want to remain active but at a less demanding role, this may be a viable path.

For others that still want to continue their higher paying employment, this isn't taking anything away from them.

Jun Ming, [19/11/2025 10:12 am]

I love this initiative. But hope those training can treat trainee with respect

And don't look down on them based on their age

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 11:00 am]

[ Poll : I am confident that the initiatives will support senior workers in contributing meaningfully to the workforce. ]

- Strongly Agree

- Agree

- Neutral

- Disagree

- Strongly Disagree

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 11:02 am]

Dear Contributors,

Please take a moment to participate in our polls and share your opinion. The poll questions are pinned for easy reference and your vote is anonymous.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on today’s topic!

💬 What are your views on efforts to boost senior employment?

Thank you.

Megan 😊

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 11:08 am]

1. I feel that the initiative to offer such programme to senior workers is a good initiative.

2. Reasons being, senior workers who want to continue to work at a pace that they are comfortable with, can continue to do so and continue to earn a reasonable income.

3. For new skills, the senior workers can learn through the internship, traineeship and yet earn a reasonable income.

4. Time Tested wisdom, knowledge that won't change through time or technology disruption can be passed down to the younger generation - so that younger generation won't have to relearn the wheel or worst make terrible mistakes that would have been avoided.

5. Industries who need workers can tap on this senior workers to grow their business and will not be let down by the unavailability of workers to grow their business.

6. In particular, engaging senior workers based on projects will be a good move as business only pay when the project is on and senior workers can contribute their efforts when the project is on.

Once completed the project, business can disengaged and save cost while senior workers can take a good rest before taking up another one when they have rested.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 11:16 am]

7. But the crux is, how to shape such senior workers programme into a pool so that it is easy for senior workers to opt in and opt out on a project basis?

8. Wonder will a mobile app per industry similar to Grab app be useful for workers to check in and flag themselves as available for a project job be useful for the respective industry to engage such senior workers like those Grab delivery or private hire - make such engagement easier?

9. When senior workers decided to take a rest, through the mobile apps, flag themselves as not available for the time being.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 11:31 am]

I wish to emphasize on point 4, to pass down time tested knowledge and wisdom so that younger generation won't make terrible mistakes or reinvent the wheel that could have serious implications to the Economy and the Country well being.

1. In the last topic, re-Nationalisation of public goods and services was raised.

2. But the consequences of Nationalisation is very serious for the following reasons:-

a. Singapore Stock Exchange (SES) is mainly fronted by GLCs. If GLCs are re-Nationalise, SES will be paralyzed and can even be dysfunctional.

b. Re-Nationalisation means Government need to use taxpayers money to buy out all the shares in the SES that can run up to hundred of billions of $ and pay to private investors. Where do the government get the money from? By levying more taxes eg. GST, income tax, corporate tax etc on the citizens? Or force Temasek Holdings to sell all the GLCs - and our Sovereign reserves sink, NIRC earnings shrink - and we have to further pay more taxes to compensate for the revenue lost through lower NIRC earnings?

c. And Singapore GDP could shrink from the current $500-600 billion to $100 billion back to the 1970s - 1990s before we move from Nationalisation to Privatisation converting State Run Enterprises into GLCs.

3. Hence I feel that time tested knowledge and wisdom of the senior workers must not be lost and properly passed down to the younger generations.

4. If such knowledge and wisdom are lost, younger generations could have learned very expensive lessons that our small Nation cannot afford to go through.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 11:33 am]

After Note (about Nationalisation, what is the impact):-

Assume what WP and the oppositions say, let us revert back to Nationalisation – by converting all GLCs (that provide public goods and services) to State-Run Enterprises, what will be the implications :-

Funding – how and where to get the money to buy out all the public shares in the Singapore Stock Exchange eg. Singtel, PSA Corp, NCS, ST Engineering, Keppel Corp, Smrt , Comfort Delgro, DBS, Sembcorp, SIA, SIA Engineering, Scoots etc ?

a. Liquidate half of Temasek Holdings GLCs' assets to pay shareholders holding all these GLCs shares and delist from the Singapore Stock Exchange (about $200 billion). What will be the implications:-

SES (Singapore Stock Exchange) portfolio diminished drastically – and can no longer function as a stock exchange as the market capitalisation heavily front by GLCs. SES paralysed and could become dysfunctional as the remaining shares are SMEs or smaller values in capitalisation.

Temasek Holdings' asset values as Sovereign Fund cut by half – and the NIRC and the profit earned will be greatly reduced. Hence the half of NIRC contributing to the fiscal budget will be greatly reduced – means more taxes in the form of GST, personal income tax, corporate tax etc will be needed. We as a taxpayer will have to pay more taxes – don't know how many percentage more taxes that we need to pay to make up for the lost government revenue earned from the NIRC.

b. If financing the Nationalisation of all the GLCs are not to be funded by the liquidation of Temasek Holdings, then Government will have to make use of taxpayers money to “Nationalise” the GLCs – assume Government need to collect additional $200 billion more taxes to do that. Now with GST, personal income tax, corporate tax, NIRC, other taxes – we collect about $100 billion to finance our yearly government spendings. To finance another $200 billion to “nationalise” the GLCs, taxpayers got to pay 200% more in terms of GST, personal income tax, corporate tax, NIRC, other taxes etc for the government to collect $200 billion more --- are taxpayers willing to pay 200% more taxes? Not to mention getting CDC vouchers, GST vouchers etc ---- taxpayers will have to pay much more taxes to “Nationalise the public goods and services” with no more CDC or GST vouchers.

c. The impact to our structure of our Economy and GDP is huge – we immediately drop from a very rich country to become a 3rd world country – from 2025 back to 1990s or 1970s – this is the impact of mismanaging our Economy if WP and the oppositions play their cards to push for Nationalisation of our public goods and services.

d. In addition, all our GLCs without subjecting to market forces and market competition will fall into inefficiency – because it cannot benchmark to market competitive pricing – as these State-Run Enterprises (SOEs) will keep putting out their hands to the Government for funds year after year. How do the various Ministers determine if the funds requested by the SOEs are reasonable if there are no market competition and benchmark? Where do the Ministers get the fund from short of taxing taxpayers to pay them?

e. GLCs if nationalise cannot tender and compete for business in overseas market – whereby currently, most if not all our GLCs gain very huge revenue and profits from overseas business because Singapore domestic market is very small unlike overseas world market - then we are losing billions and billions of $ in foreign earnings.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 11:33 am]

If revenue is not sufficient to cover expenses as domestic market is very small, prices cannot set too high as local consumers will be angry with the government, then where else does SOEs get the money from to continue to operate?

From the government by extending their hands asking Ministers to use taxpayers money to fund their operations. These lead to SOEs inefficiency - it happens to all SOEs all over the world suffering the same fate no matter how discipline and how well the SOEs are run without subjecting to market discipline, market competition and market forces.

Only North Korea are using SOEs to run public goods. Many current and previous communist countries such as China, Russia, Vietnam, East European countries have long discarded Nationalisation and convert to Privatisation or GLCs (Government Linked Companies) operate in a market economy precisely the negative impact of a SOEs.

Now our oppositions, WP want to revert back to Nationalisation of our public goods and services starting with SMRT?

Are we dooming ourselves to place our trust with the oppositions and WP?

I am surprise that WP has an Economist that work with international economic bodies – but fail to understand this very basic fundamental principles of macroeconomics – free market economy versus the impact of State-Run Enterprise (SOEs).

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 12:43 pm]

Dear Contributors,

We want to HEAR MORE from you.

💬 What are your views on efforts to boost senior employment?

We have had good feedback from this group, and we hope that we can keep the discussion robust and active!

Do also share your opinion by participating in our polls! The poll questions are pinned for easy reference, and your vote is anonymous.

Thank you!

Megan 😊

Jun Ming, [19/11/2025 12:45 pm]

I am interested in Dual vocation

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 12:46 pm]

Hahaha.

Good one.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 12:46 pm]

Just curious which 2 vocations?

Jun Ming, [19/11/2025 12:48 pm]

Exactly. They say bus drivers with physically less intensive job. Interesting. But I wonder what is the 2nd vocation other than driving

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 12:49 pm]

Eg. I have several interests:-

IT, finance, policy making, security, project management, counseling, mindfulness training, religious harmony...

Wonder how to check in, check out as projects arises.

Jun Ming, [19/11/2025 12:52 pm]

Bus drivers after driving then work as security officer? 🧐

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 12:53 pm]

Hmm...

Good one.

Jun Ming, [19/11/2025 12:54 pm]

Or those that guide passengers in out bus and tell the captain to close door

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 12:54 pm]

When MRT breakdown...

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 12:55 pm]

That's why Grab like app will be a good way to flag availability for projects, or register unavailability.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 12:56 pm]

The respective industry will be able to ascertain what are the available workers in the pool at any one time.

And senior workers can register their interest and availability in the respective industry pool.

If lack the skills, internship or traineeship or on the job training can be offered - but which means income could be lower.

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 2:02 pm]

📢 Topic 📢

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 2:03 pm]

Dear Contributors,

We want to HEAR MORE from you.

💬 What are your views on efforts to boost senior employment?

We have had good feedback from this group, and we hope that we can keep the discussion robust and active!

Do also share your opinion by participating in our polls! The poll questions are pinned for easy reference, and your vote is anonymous.

Thank you!

Megan 😊

Nicholas, [19/11/2025 2:19 pm]

Perhaps suitable jobs in government linked organisations could be identified, where priority is given to those above 60 / 55 years of age. These could be admin jobs where important work is done however career prospects are limited, that doesn't require heavy lifting or travelling. At least let those who need to, earn a decent living wage in a suitable role.

RY, [19/11/2025 2:22 pm]

I am glad to hear this new training initiatives by Govt for matured/senior workers

In fact, not only fresh graduate has difficulty in job searching amidst the world economic unstability

We also see quite many retrenchment for matured workers nowsaday due to the introduction of AI in workplace

And this grp of matured workers due to age, do have difficulty in job searching too

As most HR also look at age as 1 considering factor during recruitment as we know, though not very implicit

Govt sector shd also take the lead in recruiting matured/senior worker too

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 3:46 pm]

In fact, government can start consultancy services charging developing countries minimal prices paid by Asian Development Bank, World Bank or IMF etc to help countries like Timor Leste build up their countries from an underdeveloped Country into a developing country.

Senior workers, ex Civil servants, ex GLCs or even experience private sector senior workers can do such consultancy project works.

Eg. To help Timor Leste to setup National Computer Board, setup EDB, setup Telecom companies, set up pub equivalent, set up HDB equivalent.

Once Timor Leste is able to fully functional, it will be our very good business partner.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 3:55 pm]

Then building SOEs for Timor Leste make sense because:-

1. They lack the right talents though their people are young. Hence need the right education to train knowledge workers.

2. Pool capital resources at national scale.

3. Build infrastructure building to start the respective SOEs being an underdeveloped Country.

Only by building up their SOEs can their economy slowly mature and grow.

Only then more and more of their workers become more and more educated.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:01 pm]

Our senior workers who are experience in building up Singapore in the 1990s will then be very useful because:-

1. We are very experienced.

2. We are industry tested and deliver results.

3. We can earn income through consultancy services.

4. We help Timor Leste to build up their country like we did in 1965.

5. Soon we will earn a solid friend and trade partner when Timor Leste develop, progress and build up.

And our senior workers skills and experience will not go into waste.

As a start, our senior workers can help to develop a MasterPlan or Master BluePrint for Timor Leste.

IMF or Asian Development Bank can fund the development of these MasterPlan - and pay our senior workers here.

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 4:01 pm]

📢 Topic 📢

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:14 pm]

Eg. Let us put this hypothesis to a test.

1. Build up digital infrastructure and digital economy for Timor Leste - 1st need to build an IT Authority (eg. National Computer/Telecom Board).

2. So what type of consultants are needed?

3. OD (Organisation Development) consultants.

4. Manpower Planning Consultants to plan for IT talents for Timor Leste.

5. IT infrastructure consultants. Eg. Building Government Data centre, servers, network, cyber security, lay fiber, wireless, 5G base station etc.

6. Telecom Consultants.

7. E-commerce apps consultant (including mobile apps)

8. Finance Budgeting consultants

9. Corporate Legal Consultants

10. Mechanical and electrical engineering consultants

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:18 pm]

See just IT sector alone, we have identified so many senior workers jobs for Singaporeans.

And their salary can be funded by IMF or Asian Development Bank.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:18 pm]

And planning the Master BluePrint Plan could be 1/2 years job.

6 months projects - not bad for our senior workers.

Assuming $5,000 per month, 6 months is $30,000 - not bad for pocket money.

Fresh graduates as junior consultants can fetch $4,500 - on par with fresh graduates pay.

Not bad.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:27 pm]

1. If our fresh graduates cannot yet find jobs, they can work as junior consultants and learn on the job.

2. Experience senior workers working as Consultants can guide them and fresh graduates can learn on the jobs.

3. Timor Leste need not worry about the newest tech like AI, Quantum Computing etc. because they need the basic IT infrastructure first.

4. Senior workers Singaporeans are very experience in these (almost like closing one eye also can do type) - and can be a good trainers for our fresh graduates as well.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:38 pm]

5. So after 6 months IT Master BluePrint Plan has been develop and enter into "Build Stage", senior workers may not have the stamina to follow through.

6. Then our fresh graduates can follow the build stage - working hand-in-hand with our GLCs and private enterprise to help Timor Leste build their buildings, SOEs, infrastructure, staffing etc.

7. Of course Timor Leste must secure the "Build Fund" which is a larger amount compare to the "Consultancy Funds" from Asian Development Bank, IMF or World Bank maybe as long term loans, financial assistance or otherwise.

8. Then alot of long term permanent jobs will be created for our fresh graduates as well as business for our GLCs and private enterprises.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:44 pm]

1. As planning MasterPlan and consultancy need not travel, can do locally in Singapore, it is less taxing on our senior workers - as everything is done on the computer, paper and pen and desktop using only brain work with less brawn work and hence is less taxing to senior workers.

2. During "build", our fresh graduates will need to be in Timor Leste to do the implementation - and they will have gain ground experience when they work on the project.

一箭双雕。

One arrow 2 birds.

LCL (Danny 心), [19/11/2025 4:58 pm]

1. After Timor Leste can operate their SOEs efficiently moving from an underdeveloped country to a developing country after more than a decade, then our senior workers can be engaged to offer them consultancy services how to build Timor Leste Stock Exchange

2. Then our senior workers can be consultants to help Timor Leste privatise all their SOEs into GLCs and list them in the Timor Leste Stock Exchange - from State Run Enterprises to public enterprises or GLCs to help them transform and grow their economy.

3. And we also reap mutual benefits by earning consultancy fees, business linkage, trading partners, investment partners etc.

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 6:01 pm]

📢 Topic 📢

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 6:45 pm]

Dear Contributors,

⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰

Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

G, [19/11/2025 6:50 pm]

1990s was a great time

Lower cost of living

GST 3%

Foreigners who worked here were truly talents, and not to steal jobs

There was space to live

There was a sense of national identity

1990s to 2025 seem to be a regression and not progression

G, [19/11/2025 6:53 pm]

Is this a balloon floating exercise to gauge sentiments before a near future announcement to raise retirement age?

REACH Singapore, [19/11/2025 6:59 pm]

Dear Contributors

We will be closing the chat for today.

Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

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After note:-

Total market capitalisation in Singapore Stock Exchange (SES) is $899 billion.

Figures pertaining to GLCs are unavailable. However, GLCs form the largest shares of market capitalisation in SES.

Hence, my estimate of $200 billion to nationalise GLCs is a very conservative figures.

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Source:- Google AI

There is no single, publicly available total asset value for all Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) in the Singapore stock exchange, as GLCs are a diverse group of publicly traded companies with varying asset bases. However, reports indicate GLCs collectively accounted for approximately 23% of the assets of the largest 500 firms, or around 24% of the stock market's total capitalization in a 2006 study, though this percentage has likely changed since then. To get a sense of the scale, the total market capitalization of all listed companies on the Singapore Exchange was approximately S$899 billion in February 2022. 
GLCs are not a monolithic group: They are a diverse set of publicly traded companies where the government holds a substantial stake.
Asset breakdown: As of a 2006 study, GLCs accounted for about 23% of the assets of the top 500 firms, and roughly 24% of the total market capitalization of the Singapore stock exchange.
Total market capitalization: The total market capitalization of all companies on the Singapore Exchange was approximately S$899 billion in February 2022.
Individual company data: The total value is not reported in a single figure, but you can find the net assets of individual GLCs through their financial reports. 

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