Part time work for workers above 65 year

Many people think about retiring at 60, or 65 or 70.

Actually, it is better that they do not retire, but instead work part time (say 4 hours a day), provided that they are still healthy. They keep their mind alert, and keep in touch with their professional knowledge.

When I started work in the 1960s, people retire at 55 and pass away at 65 (on average). Today, people pass away at 85 (on average). So, they can continue to work until 75. Some may prefer to continue working until they die, but at a slower pace.

We should make it possible for older people to continue to work in useful jobs that are suitable for their age. It should be not strenuous, not mentally stressful and should be for a few hours.

This will also solve the problem of a low birth rate, and an aging population.

My friend in Australia, who is 75 years old, spends 4 hours a day on several days in the week to take care of an older person who is probably 10 years older. He gets an allowance from the community to do this care work.

I read an article that retired doctors in China are now being called back to help in taking care of people who are mildly infected with covid.

These are examples of how "retired workers" can continue to do part time work and be useful to the community.

The part time work should be provided by and funded by the community (i.e. the government). The rate of pay can be modest. The "retired" workers usually has reduced financial commitments as his children would have grown up.

Many countries provide a state pension to people who passed the retirement age. However, they find the pension to be a financial burden on the state. It is also difficult to change the terms of the pension as it becomes an "entitlement".

An alternative to providing a state pension is for a country to create part time work for retired people. This scheme will probably cost the same or less than a pension.

The part time worker will be doing work that is useful to the community, such as taking care of older people or young children, or being a mentor, companion or guide.

These services can be useful to parents who are busy at work and are not able to give sufficient attention to their young kids.

I hope that Singapore will pursue this suggestion actively.

Tan Kin Lian
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