NWC guidelines for re-employment of older workers out in November

The government received a letter recommending reasonable adjustments.

The National Wages Council (NWC) will be releasing in November the 2023/2024 guidelines on rehiring senior workers in Singapore.

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) made the announcement after Mr Yao Chee Liew made a petition, calling for the NWC to adjust the wages in the next set of guidelines.

“The NWC will continue to champion fair, inclusive and sustainable wage growth for our workers while ensuring that our businesses stay productive and competitive,” said Lee Chung Wei, Divisional Director of the Workplace Policy & Strategy Division at MOM.

In 2021, more than nine in 10 seniors who were re-employed in the same job did not experience any cuts to basic wages and benefits. Employees who feel that they have received an unreasonable offer of re-employment can raise their concerns to the union Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management.

READ: Chart of the Day: Singapore's elderly population to increase to 40.1% in 2050

The Tripartite Guidelines enable employers to re-employ workers on a term contract of at least one year. 

This contract should be renewable until the re-employed worker reaches the age of 68, as long as the employee continues to remain medically fit and has satisfactory work performance.