US expert suggests rethink on concept of work as Hong Kong faces ageing population
Society urged to embrace the silver generation by adopting jobs approach based on units not days
As the city grapples with an ageing population, experts have suggested dividing working hours into smaller blocks rather than days to keep seniors employed.
Professor Nancy Morrow-Howell, director of the Harvey A. Friedman Centre for Ageing at Washington University in St. Louis, told the Post how society could embrace the ageing workforce during a recent visit to Hong Kong.
With more older workers than ever before, Morrow-Howell suggested that a new interpretation of “work” should be introduced.
“Why can’t we reinvent a normal work week?” Morrow-Howell said. “It might be a four-hour block of work as a unit...we do 10 of those as full-time job.”
“We could compartmentalise jobs, so that they are more sharable, and part-times are more feasible,” she added.
Some staff in their 60s are as energetic as those in 50s, but some are already frail.
To change the mindset of people who discriminate against others based on age, Morrow-Howell suggested empowering elderly citizens by having them more involved in younger ones’ lives.