RETIREMENT OR RE-EMPLOYMENT?

When you have spent a good part of your life working 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, you can't wait to retire. But retirement is not all bliss, as many older folks have discovered.

Sure, it's great to be able to laze longer in bed in the morning. The day is yours to do as you please. You don't have to answer to anyone as far as work schedule, deadlines, or sales quotas are concerned. No pressure, no stress.

But after a year or two of living a life of leisure, many retirees start to miss their friends at work, their paycheck at the end of the month and their self-worth as a contributing member of the work force. 

Some of the common complaints from retirees:

~ "Whole day nothing to do, nothing to look forward to."
~ "Money going out, no money coming in. How to live?"
~ "Lost touch with most of my friends. Very lonely now."
~ "People lose interest in you when they hear that you are retired."
~ "I miss the challenge of achieving goals at work."

Whatever the reason, an increasing number of retirees are opting for re-employment. Figures are not available, but the numbers are significant enough for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore, to announce a $50 million boost to the Advantage! scheme. Under this scheme which is an initiative of the Workforce Development Agency, grants are provided to firms that recruit, retain and re-hire older workers.

The Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) recently organized their second Jobs for Seniors Fair. It attracted more than 750 older job seekers for the 1300 jobs offered.

It is ridiculous to be forced to retire in your late fifties, as is the case in Malaysia. Today's seniors are still capable of contributing actively at the workplace and to society.