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Singapore will raise the statutory retirement and re-employment ages from 2029, as well as adjust tax burdens, EAPs and flexible work policies to encourage older people to continue employment.
Singapore Starting on New Year’s Day 2029, the statutory retirement age will be raised from 64 to 65, and the re-employment age will be raised from 69 to 70 to cope with an aging society and create an age-friendly and diverse workplace environment. The implementation time is one year ahead of the original programme.
The tax burden will be reduced to increase the real income of those who continue to work after reaching statutory retirement age and re-employment age.
In July 2025, Singapore established a working group composed of representatives from the government’s ministries of labour, management and manpower to review and revise the employment strategy for the elderly. The Working Group announced on the 26th that the above recommendations made by them had been agreed to be adopted by the Government.
The government will also raise the upper and lower limits of the Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) that employers must pay to reflect wage increases in recent years. Employers in Singapore are required to pay a lump sum “employment support payment” to employees who have reached re-employment age but are unable to find suitable positions.
The purpose of this money is to help workers who cannot connect to a new job temporarily to meet their living needs. Increase the EAP amount to ensure they receive adequate support.
The Policy Recommendation Report of the Tripartite Working Group specifically notes that compared to flexible working hours and flexible work locations, flexible workload arrangements are currently not common enough. The government should set up a new office to focus on promoting flexible working hours and providing incentives for older people to remain in the workplace.
Companies in Singapore employing employees who are over the age of 60 and have a monthly salary of less than 4,000 Singapore dollars (US$3,122.5) can currently benefit from the government’s “Elderly Employment Credit” program, which can deduct up to 7% from an employee’s salary. After the program expires at the end of next year, the working group recommends introducing a “reemployment credit” program to encourage employers to retain older workers.
Summary FAQ
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Singapore will raise the statutory retirement age from 64 to 65 and the re-employment age from 69 to 70 from New Year’s Day 2029. It aims to tackle an aging society and create a more age-friendly workplace.
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For workers who continue to work after reaching retirement age or re-employment, the government will reduce their tax burden to increase their real income; It will also raise the upper and lower limits of employment support payments to be paid by employers to increase protection.
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The working group recommends that the government establish a new office to promote flexible workload, as such arrangements are less common at present. It also recommends that after the existing veteran employment credit expires, a re-employment credit will be introduced to encourage employers to retain talent.
