The raising of Singapore’s retirement age from 63 to 64 on July 1, 2026 – and the consequent increase in the re-employment age from 68 to 69 – offers statutory protection to workers who wish to remain employed longer. Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng announced this welcome change in Parliament on March 4 in the context of the Government’s desire to work with employers and employees to build more inclusive and progressive workplaces. The policy on retirement and re-employment bears testimony to that effort. For seniors who wish to continue working, the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) tripartite partners – unions and employers – agreed in 2019 to increase the retirement and re-employment ages to 65 and 70 respectively by 2030. One round of increases was made in July 2022. The latest increase reflects a tripartite agreement as well.

These are promising developments that further the interests of older workers. Employers have been compliant on the whole, with more than nine in 10 senior workers who were eligible and wished to continue working being offered re-employment in 2023. One reason for this is that the onus to hire older workers does not lie on employers alone: companies can count on MOM’s support in hiring older workers and helping them to update their skills. Several schemes are in place.