Singapore budget to help elderly, mid-career and middle-aged: Tharman

In addition to addressing the needs of the poor elderly, the upcoming 2015 Budget -- to be delivered in Parliament on Feb 23 -- will help mid-career, middle-aged Singaporeans who want good, fulfilling careers, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Sunday.

"We've always got to look to the future - anticipate the challenges, prepare our people and equip them with the capabilities and the expertise that they need to do well, individually as well as collectively as Singapore," he said on the sidelines of celebrations for the 110th anniversary of the National University of Singapore, which kicked off at the Taman Jurong Community Club.

Mr Tharman is leading the government's push to train workers in employable skills as technology shapes jobs across the global economy and competition from developing countries heats up.

He is chairing the 25-member SkillsFuture Council, a national panel set up last September to develop a system of education, training and progression for Singaporeans.