When it comes to the issue of retaining more people aged 65 or older in the workforce, the public usually focuses on how to encourage already retired elders to return to work. The discussion is therefore on filling vacancies, flexible work schedules and training courses. It is also curious that people re-entering the job market are expected to work in service sectors only.
Is it true that middle-aged and senior workers cannot acquire new skills? Is it really the case that they are only suitable for service industry jobs, which are considered relatively easy? Are they only fit for filling up vacancies in a passive way? Considering the situations in Japan and South Korea, Taiwan should pay more attention to retired elders’ work experiences. The government should also work more on encouraging senior workers to stay longer at their jobs and extend their time frames of retirement.
In Taiwan, along with an aging population, the fertility rate is seriously declining, and such a tendency is becoming irreversible. According to a report by the National Development Council, Taiwan is expected to be a super-aged society by 2025, in which 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or older. The “demographic dividend” will soon end, and by 2034, people over the age of 50 are expected to account for half of the population. Taiwan would start accumulating a demographic debt. At that time, the working-age population (aged 15 to 64) would decrease further, while more seniors would have to continue working to secure life necessities. Many would become overworked elders.
The Middle-aged and Elderly Employment Promotion Act (中高齡者及高齡者就業促進法) focuses on the prohibition of age discrimination, specifying that “the employer shall not impose differential treatment on the senior and middle-aged persons and the elders.” However, measures to postpone the retirement age so that elders could work longer have not been implemented. This should be addressed immediately to retain senior workers in the workforce.
We can and should learn from others. Take Japan and South Korea for example. In Japan, the retirement age is 70, and a senior employment system has been implemented to ensure job opportunities for elderly workers. What is worth considering in this system is that it takes into account the health conditions of the elderly. Hence, their workloads and work hours are as flexible as could be. Senior workers would work no more than 10 days per month and no more than 20 hours per week. This is to ensure that seniors work in an environment where they could feel happy and fulfilled.
In South Korea, the government encourages employers to hire senior workers by means of wage reductions and mandatory employment. Employers and employees are supposed to negotiate with one another to reduce wages and work hours year by year prior to retirement. Meanwhile, the government would subsidize employers to hire senior workers, and it is mandatory for an enterprise of more than 300 employees to hire a certain percentage of seniors.
For many countries around the world, it has become imperative to keep seniors in the workforce. We should recognize that the elderly can contribute to industries. The government must work on implementing a system that would allow senior workers to postpone their retirement more easily.
A work model that promotes the collaboration of youth and seniors should also be highlighted and advanced, making sure that different generations can work together while facilitating the passing on of work experience. That way, the workforce in Taiwan can be regenerated and re-enlivened.
Chen Chien-hsien is the chairperson of the Taitung County Sports Development Foundation and an assistant professor in Meiho University’s Department of Social Work.
Translated by Emma Liu
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