2024 HAPI Second Prize Winner
THE PROBLEM
Singapore is set to become a “super-aged” society by 2026. With this demographic shift, the country’s dependency ratio (the number of working-age adults per older adult) will worsen. While the minimum retirement age in Singapore is currently 63, there is a pool of senior job seekers between the ages of 60 and 80 years old who hope to continue working. However, these job seekers may have different needs and preferences depending on their individual life stages. For example, they might want or require flexible working hours, a workplace near their home, and so on. As such, there is a strong need for programs that can tap into this “silver human resource” and enable older adults to continue working while also meeting the needs of this greying workforce.
THE INNOVATION
Since 2023, Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC), a charity that provides various social and welfare services to the community, has operated a micro-jobs program based-out of its Active Aging Centers (AACs). This program provides active older adults with the opportunity to take on simple tasks, or “micro-jobs,” to provide assistance to other more frail older people in the community. Unlike conventional programs operated at AACs, where seniors receive services, the micro-jobs program empowers participants to help their peers by taking on micro-jobs, for which they receive a small allowance. The jobs themselves are intended to be bite-sized and manageable for older adults with different needs and preferences.
The micro-jobs offered through this program were designed based on feedback from older adults based on their interests and capabilities and include tasks such as delivering meals or medication reminders to frail seniors or those at risk of social isolation, as well as other home-visit programs. THKMC also leveraged their own expertise as a charity that provides social welfare services to understand gaps in existing services and help create micro-jobs that will meet the needs of the community.
From the initial pilot in January 2023, which had 10 participants working as “micro-jobbers,” the program has rapidly expanded. By the time the program officially launched in August 2023, it had over 50 participants who had completed over 220,000 tasks reaching out to 200 beneficiaries. As of January 2024, all 18 of TKHMC’s AACs were offering micro-job programs, and they have begun to partner with other organizations in Singapore to expand the program. Singapore has a network of over 200 AACs, so there is still significant space to continue to expand the program itself.
As noted above, participants in the program receive a modest payment for carrying out jobs, about S$1.00 for each meal delivered and S$5.00 for each medical escort appointment. A senior who takes up two tasks per day could potentially earn up to around S$400 per month based on an average of 10 clients served. This provides participants with spending money that they can use to support themselves in various ways. For example, one micro-jobber mentioned that she can use the income from micro-jobs to help pay her phone bills.
TKHMC has found that beyond the economic stability provided to older adults taking on micro-jobs, it also improves the physical and mental health of both the older adults carrying out the tasks and the frail older adults in the community who are receiving assistance. For example, they found that after six months of work, micro-jobbers score highly on an Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT). At the same time, a Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) assessment on older adults receiving services found improvements in their health over a six-month period.
Finally, the program also helps to foster social connection among community members and provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment to participants. Active seniors are able to contribute to their community by looking out for other frailer older adults, helping them to retain a sense of purpose after retirement.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
- The micro-jobs have been designed based on feedback from older adults. This has led to the creation of bite-sized tasks that are manageable for participants and can cater to each person’s differing and changing needs.
- TKHMC leveraged their own expertise as a community-focused organization to identify needs within the community and create micro-jobs that not only benefit participants but also address the needs of frail older people in the community.
- The program has benefited from buy-in from key stakeholders such as AIC, the agency that coordinates the delivery of aged care services.
- The program is designed to be scalable, while the modular bite-sized nature of the jobs means there is potential to expand the number and types of jobs being offered.
- The low barrier of entry for taking on micro-jobs—flexibility in schedule, a manageable workload, and no long-term commitment—make it easier for older people to participate in the program.
FINANCIAL STRUCTURE
Funding for the micro-jobs program is currently provided to THKMC by the Centre for Seniors (CFS) “Silver@Work” program. That program in turn is funded by the Tote Board Community Health Fund, which is administered by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). The Silver@Work program receives an annual budget of about S$350K/year for its overall activities. In the longer term, the intent is for micro-jobs to scale to a level that will be financially viable for CFS (or any other intermediary) to provide such services to employers, as a fee-for-service model.
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