Journeys of Strength: An Appreciative Study of Older Workers in Singapore

Abstract

It is projected that by 2050, large parts of Asia will have the highest percentage of the world’s older population. Developed countries in Asia, such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, will experience workforce shortages due to aging populations. In Singapore, the local workforce is expected to plateau from 2020 onward, indicating that there will be little or zero growth in the local workforce based on current employment and retirement rates. Singapore is an illustrative case study as it remains at the forefront of the global economy despite its lack of natural resources, small geographical size and a rapidly aging workforce. Although credited for their contributions, Singaporean older workers are perceived by many employers as liabilities and thereby confined to secondary labour markets. As such, the working lives of older workers warrants closer examination. This research study aims to challenge prevailing narrowing attitudes towards older workers above the age of 50 by discovering their appreciative factors through the involvement of key stakeholders in Singapore’s employment sector. It will contribute to transforming how older workers are perceived and envision a more inspiring and positive future for them by informing future training initiatives and policy formulation. Using a qualitative research design, this study adopted the Discovery and Dream phases from the appreciative inquiry methodology. Forty appreciative interviews and 10 focus group discussions with 20 older workers and 20 industry experts, employers and adult educators were conducted in Singapore. Guided by concepts drawn from the theory of flourishing, the S-BIT theory of fulfilling work and critical gerontology, the concept of ‘dynamic-grit mindset’ was developed from a detailed thematic analysis of data. The findings indicated that older workers were disadvantaged by the systemic inequities within Singapore’s workforce. These inequities could be attributed to ageist attitudes within (1) human resource policies, (2) workplace contexts, (3) government policies and (4) other contextual barriers. The findings also revealed that older workers in Singapore are assets to the nation and use the dynamic-grit mindset to mitigate and overcome the pressures of these systemic inequities within the workforce. Dynamic-grit mindset in this study refers to a style of thought, a way of seeing life and a habit of coping with work rooted in eight key factors. Having this mindset enables older workers to flourish and experience a sense of fulfilment at work. The concept of dynamic-grit mindset is also a useful heuristic tool to extend the findings from this study and provide further insights for reforms of employment policies, workplace practices and training initiatives.