DBS Foundation in S$1.5 million partnership to scale micro-jobs for seniors
Its tie-up with Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities will be rolled out across 100 Active Ageing Centres, and will benefit about 5,000 seniors
[SINGAPORE] Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC) and DBS Foundation have come together to create a micro-jobs programme for senior citizens, to be rolled out in 100 Active Ageing Centres (AACs) over four years.
About 5,000 seniors are expected to benefit from broadened access to flexible, task-based work opportunities, which will be posted on a digital app to be developed under this Senior Micro-Jobs Programme.
The partnership between the charity and the bank was launched on Monday (Oct 13) at an event at the National Gallery Singapore, with Health Minister Ong Ye Kung as guest of honour.
DBS Foundation contributed about S$1.5 million to the project.
The amount will support the development of the app, which is expected to be ready in the first half of 2026. It will be the first app of its kind in Singapore that will help seniors to find, apply for and also receive payment for taking up the available jobs.
At a panel discussion that took place before the launch of the partnership, Karen Ngui, head of DBS Foundation, called for the narrative of an ageing population to be redefined.
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“People living longer is what spurred this collaboration. The question is how we can convert challenges into opportunities and tap the resources such as the wisdom of the senior generation.”
Fellow panellist Michael Wong, group director of the regional health system at SingHealth, said: “(The initiative) gets seniors to come together and connect. And the health benefits of seniors connecting (with each other) reduces early death.”
Calling for a mindset change, he said society needs to appreciate “what is strong – and not what is wrong – with them … We need to (view) them like gold and assets”.
Zac Toh, founder of social enterprise City Sprouts, agreed with this, and added that it is important to empower seniors, who may be hesitant about stepping up to be a part of society again.
“Instead of looking at ageing in isolation, we need to think about what levers and systems to build upon to move into the construct of a super-aged society.”
Singapore is set to become a super-aged society in 2026, based on the United Nation’s definition of such a society – one in which 21 per cent or more of the population is aged 65 and older.
Chern Siang Jye, assistant chief executive officer of the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), said this initiative represents the next level of active ageing, in which seniors not only take part in, but also purposefully contribute to the community.
He said the new app aligns with the focus of the AIC, which, in its oversight of the eldercare sector in Singapore, focuses on connecting seniors to opportunities that keep them active and engaged in the community.
To a question from The Business Times on how the app could be useful to seniors who are less tech-savvy, a spokesperson from THKMC said: “We envision a simple and intuitive interface with UX (user-experience) considerations tailored to meet the needs of seniors. We will also provide step-by-step tutorials and guides to help seniors to navigate the app.”
The THKMC-DBS Foundation partnership builds on a 2023 pilot by the charity, which introduced micro-jobs to users of its 18 AACs. That pilot engaged 700 seniors; in two and a half years, 10,000 senior citizens completed more than 300,000 tasks.
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