Singapore’s Aging Workforce: Why Seniors Continue Working Beyond Retirement
Older workers across Singapore are increasingly choosing to remain in the workforce past traditional retirement thresholds, driven by a mix of personal fulfillment, social connection, and financial necessity.
Said Mohamed Supports Disabled Son Through Long Career
Said Mohamed started working at the Singapore Zoo at age 27. Over the next 44 years, he nurtured plants across five attractions at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, including a 50-meter-tall buah sentul tree at the proboscis monkey exhibit that he planted as a seedling. Now 71, Said continues working to support his 37-year-old son, who has a disability and attends a special school for adults, alongside employing a domestic helper for daily care. Beyond financial support, Said noted that his social network at the reserve keeps him mentally alert.
Mandai Wildlife Group assistant vice-president for horticulture June Foo stated that Said served as her mentor during their 20 years working together. Foo added that Said still identifies native and biological plant names and their medicinal uses when walking through the reserve.
Retirement Surveys Reveal Financial Pressure and Personal Choice
The findings showed that more than three in five seniors in Singapore continue working past retirement age.
A separate survey conducted between September and October 2025 by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) with nearly 600 respondents found that 46% of participants expressed a desire to work past age 70. This willingness rose with age, with more than 66% of respondents aged 64 or above wanting to continue working past 70, compared to 51% of those aged 50 to 63.
Singapore Increases Retirement Ages as Senior Employment Grows
Since July 2026, Singapore’s statutory retirement age increased from 63 to 64, while the re-employment age rose from 68 to 69. Ministry of Manpower data from the Labour Force in Singapore Advance Release 2025 showed that the employment rate for workers aged 65 and above grew from 24.7% in 2015 to 31.5% in 2025.
Paulin Straughan, director of the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing at the Singapore Management University, stated that addressing senior engagement requires distinguishing between those who must work and those who wish to work. Angelique Chan, director of the Centre for Ageing Research & Education at Duke-NUS Medical School, noted that 60 is effectively the new 40 due to higher healthy life expectancies and better education among current cohorts.
Healthcare Professionals Extending Careers Beyond Retirement
Susan Kok, 70, serves as the assistant director of nursing at Gleneagles Hospital, having worked in the profession since 1976. Kok stated she remains in the field to groom younger generations of nurses by sharing clinical knowledge and judgment. Meanwhile, Phuah Gaik Kheng, 73, a former nurse manager at Singapore General Hospital, retired from her nursing role in the emergency department and transitioned in 2020 at age 67 to become a senior patient experience manager at the institution, where she uses her background to mitigate workplace miscommunication and advocate for both patients and staff.
Chan emphasized that older workers possess crystallised intelligence—a collection of accumulated facts, skills, and information built over a lifetime that cannot be easily taught. At the same time, Chan noted that older employees hold a responsibility to maintain basic familiarity with modern technology and artificial intelligence to complement younger team members.