(The article below is reproduced from The Star dated July 6, 2008.)MANY agree that senior citizens can still contribute to the workforce after retirement.
According to Assoc Prof Dr Tengku Aizan Hamid, director of Universiti Putra Malaysia's Gerontology Institute, physically and mentally fit retirees and pensioners should be given job opportunities, depending on the job scope, experience and suitability.
One area that could benefit from this “ready-made” workforce is the service industry.
“Non-labour intensive jobs, such as the service industry would be appropriate for retirees. We can take advantage of their extensive experience and understanding of the local language, culture and religion,” she notes.
She believes that local retirees could perform some of the jobs currently held by migrant workers. With their experience and maturity, they are a valuable resource for the workforce, she says.
“Retirees still have a lot to offer. With their skills and experience, it is a waste not to tap into them as a manpower resource for the job market,” she says.
However, she highlighted, it is important to remember that the retirees are a diversified group and cannot be asked to fill in all the gaps in the job market. It would be dangerous to pigeonhole the retirees based on stereotypical assumptions, she cautioned.
Other jobs that would be good for an older workforce include information services, tourism, management and consultancy.
Their experience would be valuable to help new enterprises and businesses to jump start. In fact all jobs are suitable for them as long as they can fit into the system,” opines Dr Tengku Aizan
Pensioner Zainal Ariffin, 60, shares many retirees and pensioners would like to earn some extra income but there were limited job opportunities for them.
“They can work at administrative or management level or even take care of lifts at offices. A job will help retirees and pensioners supplement their pensions or their savings,” he says.
Penang Senior Citizens Association president Lawrence Cheah said earlier that the Government and private sector should make use of the expertise of retirees and pensioners.
“In Malaysia, employers are reluctant to hire retirees unlike in Western countries where they are employed for their expertise. The misconception here is that they would be too old (to work) and should stay at home. If they are still healthy, capable and interested in working, they should be employed,” Cheah said.
He said retirees or pensioners in Singapore were retrained in their field of expertise before rejoining the work force while in Cambodia, retired traditional artists or sculptors in an academy of arts trained people who were maimed or jobless.
Dr Tengku Aizan concurs, “The investment in the retraining, lifelong education and learning will enable many retirees to participate in the new K-based economy.
“It is also important to remember that the role of retirees in the formal and informal sector can be expanded as some of them are highly educated professionals in their fields.”
