Age Friendly Workforce Asia 2011 Conference

3 November 2011

Dr Philbert Chin

President

SCENARIO 1

Total Fertility rate: 1.24 births per woman

Net migration added annually: Zero

Total Population: 3.03 million

Total Young people aged 15 and below: 274,400 (9.1% of population)

No. of working adults will decline to 1.73 million, making up just over

half – 57.3% – of the population

No. of Elderly aged 65 and older: 1.02 million (33.6% of the population)

Ratio of working age adult supporting each elderly person = 1.7: 1

Median Age: 54.6 years old

WHAT SINGAPORE WILL LOOK LIKE IN 2050

WHAT SINGAPORE WILL LOOK LIKE IN 2050

SCENARIO 2

Total Fertility rate: 1.24 births per woman

Net migration added annually: 30,000

Total population will grow to 4.89 million by 2050

Total Young people aged 15 and below: 651,300 (13.3% of population)

No. of Working-age adults: 3.1 million (63.3% of population)

Elderly aged 65 and older: 1.14 million (23.4% of population)

Ratio of working age adult supporting each elderly person = 2.7: 1

Median age: 45.7 years old

The assumptions here reflect most closely Singapore’s

current situation

WHAT SINGAPORE WILL LOOK LIKE IN 2050

SCENARIO 3

Total Fertility rate: 1.24 births per woman

Net migration added annually: 60,000

Total population will almost double to 6.76 million by 2050

Young people aged below 15 will increase to 1.04 million by 2050

(15.3% of population)

No. of working adults: 4.45 million (65.9% of population)

Elderly aged 65 and older: 1.27 million (18.8% of the population)

Ratio of working age adult supporting each elderly person = 3.5: 1

Median age: 41.6 years old

WHAT SINGAPORE WILL LOOK LIKE IN 2050

SCENARIO 4

Total Fertility rate rises gradually to 1.85 births per woman by 2025 before

stabilising at this level

Net migration added annually: Zero

TFR of 1.85 is optimistic

Total Population declines to 3.37 million in 2050

No. of Young people aged 15 and below will decline to 447,100

(13.3% of population)

No. of working-age adults: 1.91 million (56.6% of population)

Elderly aged 65 and older: 1.02 million (30.2% of the population)

Ratio of working age adult supporting each elderly person = 1.9: 1

Median age: 50.9 years old

FROM MR LEE KUAN YEW

“20,000 to 25,000 migrants is digestible

politically”

Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew

said at a recent forum

•Total Population: 4.8 million

•Working age population: 3.1 million

•Elderly aged 65 and older: 1.14 million

•Ratio of working-age adults supporting each

elderly person: 2.7: 1

SINGAPORE’S CURRENT DEFINITION ON THE

DISABLED

“The Singapore’s current definition uses

the medical criteria as the base and builds

on top of that, an examination of the

socio-functional limitations.”

COMMITTEE ON AGEING ISSUES: REPORT ON AGEING

POPULATION

Are you able to move around physically without any help?

65 years old and above (%)

65 to 74 Years old (%)

75 years old & above (%)

Ambulant and Physically Independent 87 93 78

Ambulant and Physically independent but require walking aid

8 5 13

Require some physical assistance to move around and need some assistive device

3 1 6

Not bedridden but require total physical assistance for movement

0.7 0.4 1

Bedridden 1 0.5 2

Ambulant Status of Seniors

Source: NCSS 2005

ESTIMATED AMBULATORY STATUS OF SENIORS IN 2050

SHOWN IN FIGURES

Projected number of elderly aged 65 and older in 2050

1,140,000

Ambulant and Physically Independent 991,800 (87%)

1,083,000 Ambulant and Physically independent but

require walking aid 91, 200 (8%)

Require some physical assistance to move around and need some assistive device

34,200 (3%)

53,580 Not bedridden but require total physical assistance for movement

7,980 (0.7%)

Bedridden 11,400 (1%)

HEALTH PROMOTION BOARD SINGAPORE

ARTICLE ON VOLUNTEERISM Giving to the community the benefit derives by the recipient are:

1)Sense of Achievement

a) A sense of achievement, satisfaction and fulfilment

2)Way from the Rat Race

a) By extending a helping hand, you will realise that your problems

are not as big as you think they are

3)Meet new people

a) Get a chance to meet new people and broaden your social network

b) Learn to work with people from different backgrounds

c) Get to know people from various professions

4)Pick up a new skill

a) This will allow you to learn more and help in your personal

development

PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM

Mr Goh Chok Tong highlighted two ways to promote

volunteering:

By providing volunteer opportunities that are flexible and

bite-sized

Organisations to invest more in volunteer management

CHANGING MINDSETS

“ It will take a long time, not just months

but years, to change mindsets about what ageing

means and to realise the opportunities to help our

seniors be confident participants in society for as

long as they are able.”

Mr Lim Boon Heng,

then Minister in charge of ageing issues

LEADERSHIP FROM THE GOVERNMENT

The government must create an environment where positive

social capital will flourish

The government must also provide the leadership and

resources in engaging and nurturing the proper allocation

of available and willing human capital.

Note:

Some volunteers volunteered in more than 1 programme / committee.

Total number of members: 1,022

Number of unique active volunteers: 456 / 44.6%

Each volunteer volunteered an average of 139 hours annually (National average: 48 hours annually)

ACHIEVEMENTS OF RSVP

Programmes & Committees Number of Active Senior Volunteers

Number of Clients served

Number of Volunteer Hours clocked

Active Ageing Seniors 241 6,973 996

Cyberguide & MUP 80 7,282 6305

Changi Senior Ambassador 151 213,740 24,216

Hosting 9 18 180

Learning Journey/ Senior Guiding 103 16,300 6,297

Mentoring 40 182 2465

Mentally Disadvantaged Outreach 50 200 3393

Administrative Support 107 8,000 12,791

Committee Members of all Committees

110 4,415

ProGuide 17 2,268

Total 908 252,695 63,326

VOICES FROM THE VOLUNTEERS OF RSVP