Tan Kin Lian's Blog: Employment and older workers

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Employment and older workers

Hi Mr Tan,

I refer to one of blog's article titled "Wages of older workers".

The survey done by SNEF/MOM/NTUC is merely a red herring and a public relation exercise by the govt. Which employer in their right mind would tell the surveyors that they automatically cut the wages of workers who are 60 or older?? Do SNEF/MOM/NTUC verify or audit what the employers tell them? Of course not. This survey only tells us the percentage of employers who are stupid enough to admit that they automatically reduce the wages of older workers! The best part is, our govt is leading the charge with depressing our wages by reducing the employer CPF contribution rate for older workers.

Notice that shortly after the survey results were published, Capt James, who heads the pilots union at SIA, recently criticised SIA for discriminating against S'porean pilots (who face pay cuts and/or placed on pay-if-you-fly contract when they get older) in favour of expat pilots who are provided with a generous package. I am not disputing that pilots are paid well and most can retire comfortably, but the pertinent point is the fact that S'poreans are being discriminated against in our own country!

I can empathise with the your friend's plight. He must have felt betrayed by his employer. The govt claims that S'pore is a meritocratic nation and so by natural extension, employers will find the best talent for the job without any discrimination. Frankly, that is just wishful thinking on the part of out govt. It is extremely naïve to believe that personal relations don't play a part in employment. Say a company hires a Filipino manager.....he will try his best to hire his countrymen since they share the same cultural background and mother tongue. This is not meritocracy. This is pure stupidity of our national policies.

Like you said, how can S'poreans have more babies when our livelihood is in danger? I guess that the a key downside to paying our ministers and senior civil servants outrageous salaries......they begin to live in their own world.

TY

29 comments:

Anonymous said...: ".....paying our ministers and senior civil servants outrageous salaries......they begin to live in their own world....."

besides living in their own world, they also think that everybody is living in their kind of world.; May 25, 2010 3:53 PM
Anonymous said...: There was no need to do a survey in the first place. Just check the records of the employees whose birthday pass the "magic number" and viola, you will have the answer. Sigh.

The comment about "relationship" is absolutely correct. An International advertising agency has a preponderance of Indian expats because...you guessed it, the MD is India Indian. Sigh.

A German bank has only one Singaporean in the entire IT department. Sigh.

Hurray for meritocracy.

Sigh.; May 25, 2010 4:02 PM
Anonymous said...: The practice of Indians and Filipinos hiring only their own is extremely prevalent here in Singapore to the extent of discrimination. People with no relevant experiences or made up experiences manageing small items back home came over to lead large projects and learned on the job. Even my foreign friends from other nationalities are questioning this. I do not see this happening from other nationalities. Even my HR talked about this. The civil servants would never know what is going on, in their mind Singaporeans are lazy and choosy etc.; May 25, 2010 4:35 PM
Anonymous said...: The govt is concerned with these numbers, economic growth and jobs created. If it is high and positive, there is a feel good factor as is currently the case.

These are achieved with social costs (a price to be paid) as mentioned in this blog and elsewhere. But there are no numbers put on it. So even if it is high and very bad, it is not obvious to capture headlines in mainstream media and hence also no feel bad factor unlike the former.; May 25, 2010 5:04 PM
Depressed said...: How many people jumped on the MRT track this year, so far? Maybe some NGO can do a Youtube documentary to shed some light on the plight of these depressed people. Or are we going to wait for the Gov and lose more Singaporeans in the process?; May 25, 2010 5:12 PM
Anonymous said...: How can I vote for a Govt who opened the floodgate for foreign talents/workers to take over my job and at the same time, uses my income tax to pay themselves outrages salary while declaring Minister's job is a holy order?

Is this a Singapore's Joke?

I don't know. All I know is I am still out of job for last few years....; May 25, 2010 5:26 PM
Anonymous said...: At work, we have to worry about our rice bowl.

We are not even paid adequately. There is no meritocracy. Employers are just out to exploit us.

At one point in time, a few of my colleagues left. I had to take over a few persons job. Do the employers reward you? No, they just expect you to do everything.

Come home so tired. How to make babies?

We are so easily dispensable(retrenched).There is really no protection at all for us.; May 25, 2010 6:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Frankly speaking,I do not know my MP nor ever met or seen him/them around. Perhaps, I live in a private condo.

I only observe that during Election Campaigns, they will be like Santa, wanting to shake your hands, then disappear for the next 5yrs.

Moral of the story: Out of sight and out of mind?; May 25, 2010 7:37 PM
Anonymous said...: In the past the older ones are the most loyal ones.
Now see are they are being treated by.......
You should know what to do ......; May 25, 2010 7:58 PM
Anonymous said...: I am a retiree and during my hey days,
I dread the "R" words as follows:

a) Company's Re-organisation
b) Company's Re-Structuring
c) Company's Re-Deployment
d) Company's Job Re-Design
e) Company offering Early Retiremen
f) Company's Retrenchment Exercise

I got whacked at aged 50 on (e) with some benefits of 27 yrs. svc.
I reemployed by a rival company
because of my yrs. of Job experience.
I was given 4 post compared to 1 by my previous employment. (no choice)
I was told to multi task and impart knowledge to my juniors, then after 3 yrs.+, it took a toll on my health and I left with no regrets, but was wiser to play "Tai Chi" never impart all your skills perhaps only 6 out of 10 or lesser.......Pls.learn to survive in this so called
"Meritocracy World"; May 25, 2010 8:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Singapore Question:
What do you call a government which cannot look after its own citizen?

Singapore Answer:
A Meritocratic Government

International Question:
What do other countries do when their current government can no longer deliver?

International Answer:
The useless bums get voted out.; May 25, 2010 9:43 PM
Anonymous said...: They are only interested in the "numbers"!!! They are only interested in digit (kpi??)that can help them. They are not interested in real person or yr feeling.

They only interested in themselves and their "future", but not you.
They are only interested if u can help them as part of their "good statistics".

Is that what u want??; May 25, 2010 11:18 PM
Anonymous said...: Life in S'pore has become very bad since the crown prince took over. At a population of 5 million, S'poreans are already complaining of overcrowding and severely stretched public resources. But PAP are not interested in our feedback. They still insist on increasing the population to 6.5 million.

I will wake them up at the next election; May 26, 2010 12:25 AM
Anonymous said...: To Anon 8pm,

Thank you for your teaching. Will learn to play "Tai Chi" from now on.

There's no meritocracy in this world. Only the "Best Talker & Best Pretender" will get the "Best Award".

Am trying to learn! He He; May 26, 2010 8:48 AM
Anonymous said...: Few years ago when I was still working for a local SME, my colleagues accused me for not imparting knowledge to my subordinates or chatting with them to get to know them better. I did not bother to defend myself. I admit I am selfish & refuse to teach them things in case I lose my job once they learned the ropes. I also dump a lot of menial jobs to them like photocopying of techincal manuals & running errands. I seemed mean in some colleagues eyes. Only one senior lady who has been working for many years agrees with what I was doing. She has been in the working world long enough to know. She emphasized with me that we should protect ourselves & let the young or inexperience learn things the hard way. Afterwhich, they will appreciate the hardship they have gone through & can help them survive in the future.; May 26, 2010 9:46 AM
Anonymous said...: In SIN, older workers get DEVALUED.

As for employments, OLDER WORKERS be prepared TO BE EXPLOITED, low pay and long working hours.

The SIN of an uncaring LEADERSHIP shall result in the locals getting bully by their own leaders and foreigners.

patriot; May 26, 2010 10:31 AM
Frustrated in SG said...: I hate the overcrowding & ensuing temp. increase in high density area. Can someone do me a favor & get the old man to retire? A wise leader must know when to step down.; May 26, 2010 10:52 AM
Anonymous said...: This time when our local PAP MP comes a-calling to our house, we would not answer the door, just got tired of all these false pretenses, only try to be nice at election time, after that disappear or ignore us when we call upon him for help.
I miss the old guard MPs who really cared for us, the new bunch are all rascals, only hypocritical
good for nothings.; May 26, 2010 2:38 PM
Anonymous said...: Yes,I've read all of these complaints and comments.
As a citizen,I've to compete with all these so called foreign talents.But are they really talents??
A wake-up call is important now.
Will the peoples WILL be answered?
What happen next?We and our children future rely on whos shoulders?

Taxi SHXX09; May 26, 2010 2:55 PM
CET said...: There has been a lot of focus on retraining and continued employment of older workers.

From creation of Continuing Education Training (CET) to PMET.
all with very generous subsidy from WDA.

Nonetheless, the equation is incomplete.
We do not hear much from employers.
There seems to be an absence of views from them: What do they want from an older worker if at all?

Employers are business people with profits foremost on their minds.
Unless they balance this, no amount of training etc will work.

There is very strong evidence that people will work as long as they are able to and are also willing to learn new skills. Yet, employers choose to ignore these findings and focus on younger workers, who are the ones that will resign and seek greener pastures.. what is the return on investments on these then?

It is really foolish.; May 26, 2010 10:12 PM
Anonymous said...: TY said "Frankly, that is just wishful thinking on the part of out govt. It is extremely naïve to believe that personal relations don't play a part in employment".

Wishful thinking? Naive? I dont think so. I say, basically they dont give a damn about the masses. Frankly, why should they care? Its a dictatorship and everything is under their control. Their big fat pockets are extremely secure anyway.

Things will only change when the majority of sillyporeans wake up.; May 26, 2010 11:24 PM
Anonymous said...: I think we should all face up to reality. Without natural resources, what Singapore can offer to foreign investors apart from a clean and non-corrupt environment is cheap and cheaper labour sourced either locally or more prevalently now or from around the region, a sort of cheap labour hub. Labour is treated as loss leader at local workers' expense while greater income for the govt flows in from the use of its airport and seaport, land sales, taxes, etc.

The govt ensure that through the tripatrite of NTUC for employees, employers and the govt, they manage and control wage levels. But in reality it is more a trinity like a 3-in-1 to effect and safeguard the govt's low wage strategy as the govt has the most vested interest as the largest employer and income earner. Look, it controls NTUC, is well represented in the employers group. and the National Wage Council. Wage cuts will therefoe always come fast and large but wage increases slow and small. History is the proof.

sb; May 27, 2010 9:37 AM
Anonymous said...: The saying "What does it profit a man who gains the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul"........is very true to mankind.
See No Evil,
Speak No Evil,
Hear No Evil,
But understand Evil!; May 27, 2010 5:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Can we really fault the authorities?

An island state with zero except a sea of human beings ( imported or otherwise) ??

Where to keep the population occupied with work ( with meaning or not ) is the cardinal rule. Otherwise there will be riots on the streets!

What would be the alternative plan?
Increase wages and lower the cost of homes,cars,food,alcohol,tabacco,
water,utlilties and income taxes?

If this is possible, then I am living in utopia; May 27, 2010 7:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Forget about Democracy, Meritocracy try practising Tai-Chitocracy or pay peanuts and get monkeys that works for some too........and forget all the grumbles as Life is short!; May 27, 2010 9:25 PM
Anonymous said...: """"民进党：马政府只救失业数字不救失业 """

Is it applicable to spore also??
Or is it even worse??
You decide.; May 28, 2010 8:20 AM
Tina said...: Older people are more reliable. They work harder and understand the meaning of earning a real dollar. I will take 1 older worker over 5 young kids any day.; May 28, 2010 11:59 PM
Respect foreigners said...: Let younger workers ( below 40 ) get a mortage or a loan.. they soon will understand the meaning of money and debt.. if they do not pay up, reposses the items.

I think everyone who is below 40 and even below 20 should be allowed loans .. then I believe they will grow up very quickly. At the moment, many live off their parents and stay with them.. rent free, laundry free, food free, utilities free.

I respect foreign workers, especially malaysians who come here, get a job, find a room, do their own laundry, pay their own medical fees, transport.. some of them are as young as 15 years old and they are females.

As for our own females or NS trained males, they need mom & dad's hand holding to set up in Buckingham,Paris,Melbourne..
. life skills are unsharpened and this is the main difference in outlook and resourcefullness between a Singgie and a foreigner.
They always need a safety net.; May 29, 2010 2:15 PM
Anonymous said...: to respect foreigners

nowadays a lot of foreign workers come from very good background at their hometown. they can afford to pay a reliable agency good fee to find a good job here to see the world, as a jumping board to see the world. of course there are also some that is really poor.

and also those with very good background back at home can afford to come here to study at our local U and be groom with our government susidies for the school fee. where did all these money of the govenment susidies come from? so if these people are coming in largely because of their test/exam result, what do you think is really important in this system?

so if you are a parent and you make your children do houseworks and learn many many lifeskills instead of making sure they get into the local U as the first piroity first, then i think if your children is not good enough to cope with all these and be the certain percentage that can get into the local U, the system is not in your favour. but yes I will still respect your child a lot for being able to cope with many aspects of life, but how much will this help in his struggle to survive in this system?

you can respect the young foreigners, but once they are able to build up their saving and when health took a toll on them when they are older, i am sure they want to go back to their hometown to enjoy a slower pace of life.; May 31, 2010 5:00 AM

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Employment and older workers

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