A group of younger leaders have banded together to mull over what Singapore “needs to do differently in the coming years” as its population ages, underscoring how the issue has become one of the most urgent challenges for the Government.
At the Singapore Perspectives conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said a group of leaders including Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee and Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin are pondering the challenges the aged in Singapore face.
Older Singaporeans, he noted, face a slew of diverse worries.
Based on feedback garnered by pioneer generation ambassadors, the senior citizens are concerned about matters from healthcare needs to loneliness to finance – all currently addressed by different agencies and ministries. “What it shows very clearly is there is a gap at the front line, in terms of how well we are delivering that service to the seniors who need it,” said Mr Heng.
And so, going forward, “we will have to think about looking at the issues in a more cross-disciplinary way, across agencies and ministries“, he added, saying the Government has to find ways for them to work better together.
At the conference, which was focused on ageing, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said more can be done to support seniors, such as redesigning jobs to help them continue to work and helping them to take part in the gig economy. One concern about Singapore’s ageing population is the toll it could take on the economy.
Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon yesterday said that the economy can remain dynamic – provided that certain steps are taken.
As a global city, Singapore cannot afford to grow too slowly, he warned. A city whose growth comes in under 2 per cent annually will be unattractive to investors and talent, including its own, he said.
Singapore’s economy last year grew 3.5 per cent. This came after it expanded just 2 per cent and 1.9 per cent in the previous two years.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times, 23 January 2018