Tripartite Workgroup Recommends Six Measures to Build Age-Friendly Jobs and Multi-Generational Workplaces
The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment (TWG-SE) released its report today. The report sets out six recommendations to help more seniors remain in meaningful and sustainable employment for longer if they choose to, while fostering age-friendly and multi-generational workplaces. Building on the foundations laid by the 2019 Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers, the recommendations go beyond statutory retirement and re-employment to provide older workers who wish to continue working with more options across different career and life stages, while helping employers to retain and leverage their strengths.
2 More Singaporeans are living longer, healthier lives, while careers are becoming less linear. At the same time, businesses are facing tighter manpower constraints and rapid technological change. The TWG-SE was convened in July 2025 to review and refresh Singapore’s senior employment strategy, and has since consulted over 1,000 stakeholders, including employers, industry and union representatives, workers, HR professionals and academics. The TWG-SE also benefitted from practical insights from the Alliance for Action on Empowering Multi-Stage Careers for Mature Workers (AfA-EMW)1. Under the AfA-EMW, 30 organisations piloted solutions on training and career guidance, job matching, alternative employment models and phased retirement, which have helped more than 1,600 senior workers.
Reducing premature exit and facilitating re-entry of workers into the workforce
3 Senior workers will need greater support to remain employable, adapt to changing life circumstances such as caregiving responsibilities, and build retirement adequacy. The first recommendation is to scale up flexible roles and career guidance for seniors who need them through two complementary measures:
a) Introduce a new Flexi-Load Programme (FLP) to support employers in creating and scaling up flexi-load opportunities such as part-time or fractional work. The FLP will help employers defray the transitional costs of developing and implementing flexi-load arrangements, such as additional HR and organisational resources required to redesign jobs, systems and policies that are traditionally structured around full-time work. The FLP will replace the existing Part-Time Re-employment Grant when it expires in end-2027, and funding will be tied to the creation of additional flexi-load roles by employers.
b) Establish a new programme office for career longevity led by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), in collaboration with NTUC and SNEF. The office will help workers plan for career and skills transitions, and support employers to adopt age-inclusive workforce practices.
4 These recommendations are complemented by broader tripartite efforts to support career longevity, including strengthening human capital development capabilities, supporting workers in navigating workforce transitions amid evolving job demands, and improving workplace safety and health (WSH) outcomes through industry-led solutions.
Enabling career opportunities beyond statutory retirement and re-employment
5 To support seniors who are keen to contribute beyond the statutory retirement age, the second recommendation is to increase the Retirement Age (RA) from 64 to 65, and the Re-employment Age (REA) from 69 to 70 respectively on 1 January 2029, ahead of the 2030 schedule. This gives senior workers greater assurance that they can continue working if they wish to.
6 The third recommendation is to raise the recommended Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) minimum and maximum amounts, last updated in 2022, to account for wage growth in recent years. This will provide more meaningful financial support to workers who are not re-employed, helping them tide over as they search for new employment opportunities.
7 The fourth recommendation is to reduce the tax burden for seniors who work beyond the statutory Retirement Age and Re-employment Age. To further encourage seniors who wish to continue contributing their skills and experience, the TWG-SE recommends enhancing the Earned Income Relief (EIR) for senior workers who work beyond the RA and REA. This will increase their take-home pay and enable them to enjoy more of the fruits of their labour.
8 The fifth recommendation is to replace the Senior Employment Credit (SEC) which expires in 2027, with a new Re-Employment Credit from 2028, to support hiring and retention of senior workers beyond the statutory RA and REA.
Uplifting Lower-Wage Seniors
9 Lower-wage seniors face greater challenges in achieving income and retirement adequacy. To ensure that lower-wage senior workers can remain employed, productive and financially secure if they choose to continue working, the sixth recommendation is to enhance the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), and update the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS). Enhancing WIS will supplement incomes and improve retirement adequacy of lower-wage senior workers, while updating PWCS will give employers greater support to raise wages sustainably.
Government Accepts the TWG-SE Recommendations
10 The Government fully accepts the recommendations and will work closely with tripartite partners and industry stakeholders on their implementation. Further details of the various measures will be released in the first half of 2027.
11 For more information on the TWG-SE report and the recommendations, please visit go.gov.sg/twg-se.
1 The AfA-EMW Resource Guide for Employers can be found here.