Elderly care workers in Singapore are underpaid compared to their counterparts in other four major Asian economies,
despite the growing demand for their services due to an aging population.
A study by the charity found that elderly care workers are paid far less than other jobs with similar requirements,
such as sales assistants and truck drivers. The study found that local nursing assistants in Singapore are paid $1350 per month,
while expatriate nursing assistants are paid $850 per month, South Korea $1830 per month, Japan $3000 per month,
Australia $3290 per month, and Hong Kong $3750 per month.
Singapore’s elderly care sector reliant on foreign workers
The study also found that other countries do not discriminate against foreigners on the basis of their wages.
Singapore’s elderly population is expected to grow by 18%, which means that more caregivers will be needed in the future,
but low wages and high turnover rates will make it difficult to recruit new workers. According to March 2017 data,
there are about 8,300 people working as elderly care workers in Singapore,
and a study of long-term care workers in Asia’s four largest economies and Singapore found that Singapore’s reliance on foreign workers is high at 70%,
and the Singapore Foreign Workers Survey found that 42% of foreign workers are willing to move and work overseas.
Singapore’s long-term care spending is low as a percentage of GDP
The managing director of Peacehaven Nursing Home suggests adopting new technology to address the shortage of staff,
and suggests that the elderly tracking system currently utilized in the Netherlands could be adopted to reduce the number of staff needed for night shifts.
While Singapore’s spending on long-term care has increased year-on-year,
it is still low compared to spending as a percentage of GDP in the other four largest Asian economies, and there is a need to increase the amount spent.
