Older Workers - Lets discuss about them

[emilyleong]

i belive most of the singaporean here will work until last day on earth then that is really sad things to see....there is a saying

"U can die but cannot get sick"

u seem to be generally negative..

how to be posivite when it is the fact that we really have to work until we die...are u ok with it? when we are YOUNG we contributed to the country but when we are OLD still need to contibuted to the country again i really find this unfair.
after all we are HUMAN not ANIMAL... what i wish for when we grow old we dont have to worry when is the next meal and BILLS for everone of us as in future we will get old... that why this 50year old person thinking to upgrade herself cause she need a job to eat and pay the bill and let us face it at that age which company willing to take her???

i know MaacDonal do but how much can she earn? i am the next generation my parent sent me to school to be a better person to be inteligent to know right and wrong....

i am not angry with u brother greatknowledge i just want a better life for everyone in this no.1 country.
i really hope u get what i trying to say

some ppl upgrade just for the knowledge and not using the cert to get more pay, this is the concept that singaporean have, sad to said that. Cos the projection in singapore since young -> good cert -> good job -> good pay

this is how the society and company is beng shaped.

as such, some elderly had lost some of the interest in persuing their dreams during young, so as a result, they end up studing the course which can let them stand firmly in the society. So once they hv completed the cycle (graduated, get a job,married, hv kids etc) then they tend to study something which they has dream of and not related to work. Just a personal satisfaction..

[emilyleong]

The govt now are already planning some fund for Singaporean to retire. Please give them more time. I think it should change to trust your money than trust your children.

One day, in a cafe I saw something very sad. I saw a grandson about 7 year old keep scolding his grandfather stupid, old man, shut up and etc. But the father did not say anything. And the grandfather just keep quiet and smiled.

Old people have lost the respect in Singapore

sorri side track a bit, sometimes i even saw the young kid scolding their maid stupid.... not to mention the elderly...

[Boy]

It's always easy to say than do.

Typical workers that need training are always squeezed for more output during good times and retrenched during the bad times. For workers with dependents, their time are usually committed to these dependents' needs. Neglecting them means other sets of social problems.

Training is a life long commitment and not a one time event. Skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled context depends on the industry. Manufacturing industry moves very fast in this context and employers will be more interested in meeting demand in output than waste time to train the workers. Furthermore, training workers indirectly translate to higher labour cost because the trained worker worth more than the untrained ones. (try paying the same pay to both trained and untrained worker, it will be nice if you are not experiencing HR crisis )

You are trained doesn't mean you get a better job. Job match is about demand meeting supply at an agreed terms. If I need a person who knows how to use MS Excel, I don't care whether you can produce a good Powerpoint or not. It doesn't matter. And I am not going to pay you more than another worker because you know Powerpoint which others don't. Simply put, if your upgraded skill is not requirement by the job, then do it for your own Nirvana or hopefully some employer has bionic-eyes to appreciate your talent.

It would be pretty sad if individual become an "Upgrading Fanatic", armed him/herself with all the weapons that of little and no use. Those of you who plays RPG will know that upgrading your game character is both a strategic and tactical choice. If you do not have the right mix, you are consider dead infront of the monster. In our real word context, this monster appears each time the economy gets into trouble.

No job means no job. No matter how much you upgrade. Some employer may even use that as an excuse "sorry, you are over qualified".

While I encourage individual to upgrade ourselves, please do not dream about securing a job just because you are the "upgraded" piece of machine. There are many other factors.

Main obstacles are not so easy to establish. It is always convenient to blame individuals than attribute to the need of improving the greater environment.

At 50, upgrade for yourself because you feel like it and happy about it. If you are happy and want to spend $40,000 of your life savings to study world climate, I say go for it! But if you are going to upgrade yourself with a business degree at 50 so that you can fight with the young people for the same job, I say that's a poor dream in your own castle, don't wake up.

bro u got my VOTE again!!! i have to say this agian u really impress me with your words again!! it is TRUE every single words u said

[happy]

Upgrade? I have a ex colleague, about 48 yr old, jobless, since he resign, he has been working as a security guard with several companies.

Recently, he did not work and has been upgrading himself, attending lots of courses heavily subsidies by the govt.

A few days ago, I called him and we chat. I asked him: "Are you working now? Or still upgrading? Since you already has a few cert, why dont you apply the job?"

He told me: "Very difficult especially our age. I upgrade liao, so? Salary very low and worst, they see my age, they turn me off."

Now I wonder whether upgrade is necessary?
Of as what the forumer said, govt paint a nice picture for us to make us believe?

[happy]

No choice, older workers must work.
No economy so bad, lots of retrechment and jobless and high costs of expenses (BILLS or HOUSING LOANS), older workers cannot afford to be jobless.
Older workers are more desperate then younger pple.
Older workers got lots of heavy responsibilty. Lots of BILLS and LOANS to pay.
Older workers need jobs....urgently in 2009.

[Boy]

the old in singapor no hope really pity them...
last time when i was younger i love to go to macdonal and eat but now i rarely eat there cause can see old people work really pity them as at their age now they shold not work must enjoy their golden years but sadly not in singapor

one day all of us will be just like them

[happy]

We are having this aging problem same as Japan.
A big issue.
In about 30 to 40 yrs time, many aged pple in spore.
Many aged pple sick, ill, many pple hosiptalised.
All is money.
Big problem.

the old in singapor no hope really pity them...
last time when i was younger i love to go to macdonal and eat but now i rarely eat there cause can see old people work really pity them as at their age now they shold not work must enjoy their golden years but sadly not in singapor

one day all of us will be just like them

[Boy]

yes bro i agree with u...

when old we really got BIG problem with the medical expanses so EXPANSIVE...
bro can die but cannot get sick here in singapor cause we will BIG BURDEN to our children....

only hope we dont get sick too often when old

[happy]

Last night PM Lee also touches on this issue right?
I did not listen but watch dvd.

yes bro i agree with u...

when old we really got BIG problem with the medical expanses so EXPANSIVE...
bro can die but cannot get sick here in singapor cause we will BIG BURDEN to our children....

only hope we dont get sick too often when old

[geminii]

Last night PM Lee also touches on this issue right?
I did not listen but watch dvd.

yes bro i agree with u...

when old we really got BIG problem with the medical expanses so EXPANSIVE...
bro can die but cannot get sick here in singapor cause we will BIG BURDEN to our children....

only hope we dont get sick too often when old

i watched it till the end, i never want to miss pm's speech.