Singapore will raise the retirement age from 64 to 65 and the re-employment age from 69 to 70 on 1 January 2029, a year ahead of the 2030 schedule, after the Government accepted all six recommendations of the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment, in a Ministry of Manpower statement on Monday (26 October).
The 2029 age changes
The workgroup, convened in July 2025, consulted more than 1,000 employers, unions, workers, HR professionals and academics. Bringing the ages forward, its report states, gives older workers greater assurance that they can keep working if they wish to.
Flexi-Load replaces the part-time grant
A new Flexi-Load Programme will help employers create part-time and fractional roles for seniors, covering costs such as redesigning jobs, systems and HR policies built around full-time work. It replaces the Part-Time Re-employment Grant when that grant expires at the end of 2027. Funding will be tied to the number of extra flexi-load roles an employer creates.
The Skills and Workforce Development Agency will also set up a programme office for career longevity with NTUC and SNEF, to help workers plan career and skills changes and help employers adopt age-inclusive practices.
More money for workers who are not re-employed
The recommended minimum and maximum Employment Assistance Payment, last revised in 2022, will be raised to reflect wage growth. The payment goes to workers whose employers cannot offer them re-employment.
Seniors who keep working beyond the retirement and re-employment ages will get a bigger Earned Income Relief, which cuts their income tax.
A new credit for employers from 2028
The Senior Employment Credit expires in 2027. A new Re-Employment Credit will take over from 2028 to support employers who hire and keep workers beyond the statutory ages.
For lower-wage seniors, the Workfare Income Supplement will be enhanced and the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme updated.
Further details of the measures will be released in the first half of 2027.
