Written Answer by Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower & Senior Minister of State, National Development, to Parliamentary Question on the Re-employment of Older Workers in the Private Sector

Mr R Dhinakaran: To ask the Acting Minister for Manpower what is the number of workers who have been offered re-employment contracts in the private sector in Singapore since the Retirement and Re-employment Act came into force on 1 January 2012.

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin:

An ad-hoc survey on the retirement and re-employment practices in Singapore was conducted in the last quarter of 2011. The results of the survey were released in July this year. The survey showed that the large majority or 97% of the local private sector employees retiring in the year ending June 2011 were offered employment beyond 62. Employers in general were re-employment ready even before the law was introduced in January 2012.

The implementation of the new law has so far been smooth. Given the tight labour market and the strong promotional work put in by the tripartite partners, we are confident that older employees will continue to be offered re-employment if they are fit and able to perform the job.