Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what is the current proportion of SAF officers who are offered re-employment at retirement age; and (b) what are the measures to retrain and redeploy older SAF officers.

Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen:

As a military with physical demands required to fulfil its mission, officers and other ranks of personnel within the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) do not adhere to the retirement age of commercial companies and civilian organisations. Most officers and warrant officers retire around 50 years old as there are only limited vocations for re-employment across the SAF. Military experts can work till 60 years of age. However, the shorter career spans within the SAF is made up by higher remuneration packages as compared to equivalent civilian jobs.  

In addition, the SAF has specific programmes to prepare personnel for their second careers. 80% secure jobs within six months of retiring from the SAF. These programmes include structured training to prepare them for leadership and management roles and other valuable competencies in areas such as human resource, finance, operations research and training pedagogy. Our training programmes are accredited by external agencies, and in some cases developed jointly with local educational institutions. Employer surveys show that the skills and certifications obtained by SAF personnel during their careers are well-recognised by private and public sector employers.

MINDEF established the Career Transition Resource Centre (CTRC) in 2009 to further support our retiring personnel, by equipping them with the skills to enhance their employability. Under the Lifelong Employability & Advancement Programme (LEAP), retiring personnel are provided funds and time off to attend courses and seminars, go for job interviews, and embark on internships that can serve as a springboard into their sector of interest. They can also avail themselves of personalised one-on-one career coaching and job referral services through CTRC’s certified career advisors.