Senior Citizen Workers Being Considered by Senate in Recent Bills

The Senate looks to incentivize companies hiring senior workers following the filing of a recent bill. Under the bill, firms will benefit from perks such as expanded deductions on the salaries of older professionals as well as expenses incurred for their training. Late last month, Senator Emmanuel Joel Villanueva stated that “there is a need to provide opportunities for our senior citizens who are still able and willing to obtain gainful employment and wish to continue to become economically active and productive during their golden years.”

“This bill will further support and promote equal work opportunities for our senior citizens,” affirmed Villanueva. Senate Bill 360 seeks to amend Republic Act 9994 — or the expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. The bill aims to raise the allowable deduction to 25% from 15% on the cost of salaries and wages as well as the training provided to senior citizens from the gross income of private entities that employ seniors.

The bill also offers to waive fees and charges for documents needed in hiring like licenses, proofs of identification, clearances, and certificates, among others to senior citizen job seekers. Upon passage, the measure would allow the employment of all qualified seniors and bestows employers with discretion on benefits, terms of employment, and working conditions stipulated for such workers beyond the standards required by law.

Furthermore, the proposal mandates the Department of Labor and Employment to administer job-matching and conduct employment facilitation services for seniors. The Philippine Statistics Authority estimated that 7.5 million Filipinos are aged 60 and above as of 2015. Based on data, more than half are over 64 years old at 4.8 million. A portion of the group remains at work at 3.2 million or 42%. This includes 1.2 million skilled in agriculture, forestry, and fishery, 499,000 in elementary vocation, and 427,000 managers.

On the same note, the Philippine Institute for Developmental Studies anticipates that the country will “join the ranks of countries with an aging population” by 2032, with approximately 7% of the total Filipino population older than 64. By 2069, the percentage is slated to double, with the country becoming “an aging society.”

More recently, Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes filed another bill in the House of Representatives. This bill is urging for the removal of the mandatory retirement age for workers in the private sector. Under the legislation, senior professionals also have to secure a doctor’s clearance to prove they are fit to work.

Source: BusinessWorld, ABS CBN