As long as you live

As Long as You Live

By Rosita Ng

The aging problem is an issue that the world is facing. Due to the low birth rate and prolonged life, the population is aging faster. Macao is facing with an aging population now.

In 2012, based on the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) data, the population over 65 years old accounted for 7.7% of the Macao population. After five years, the elderly population increased to 10.5% of the total Macao population. The DSEC estimated that in the next decade, the elderly population of Macao will reach the United Nations' s standard of aging society.

Furthermore, according to the statistical data, there are 70,000 senior citizens, and almost 10,000 are still employed, which accounts for one seventh of the elderly. There are more and more people over the retirement age, who continue to work, the issue of re-employment of the elderly cannot be ignored.

Why do the elderly people continue to work? They have been working for decades. When they reach the retirement age, shouldn't they enjoy retirement? In Chinese society, we have a tradition that we should be respectful and responsible for our parents when we grow up and take good care of them when they get old. So, the majority of the elderly can enjoy their retirement life. But the time has become different now, people live longer and longer, the elderly people begin to worry about the economic security in the future.

Furthermore, even though Macao has a series of social welfare schemes and medical system to protect citizens, and the current economic situation looks prosperous, the elderly still worry about the economic security, especially because Macao is a city that depends on a single economy. Hence many of them choose to continue working as they can still find job opportunities.

Yuen, a 71-year-old man, sells "dragon beard" candies in his own shop which used to be near Mercado Municipal Almirante Lacerda 40 years ago, and has moved to Rotunda de Carlos da Maia. Yuen has been working for 40 years, and is still enthusiastic to explain the name of the "dragon beard" candy, "As the emperor had tasted this candy and thought it was delicious, and the emperor represented a dragon, thus this candy was named "dragon beard" candy. "However, after 40 years of working, he originally planned to handover the shop to his son, but due to the government policy, the hawker license cannot be transferred to his son. Therefore Yuen has to continue working for his later life. Maybe you will say, as an owner of a shop, he can get his holiday at any time, but actually, he cannot. As there is a regulation for the hawker, he must follow it. Otherwise, the hawker license will be revoked.

Yuen also wanted to live a colorful retirement life. He is active in participating in voluntary activities. He likes nature and plants trees to decorate the city. He was joyful and excited to talk about these activities. He said that he wanted to have more time to do things he enjoyed, but he needed to take care of the shop. There was not much spare time. Although Yuen gets the welfare payment from the government, he still worried about the future. He said he was not sure that the later life would be stable. So, he chose to keep working and not to enjoy his retirement life.

In an ideal world, of course people want to work for the wonderful living, but for the aging society, people work for a stable living, they do not have a retirement life. They worked hard when they were young, but also work hard at old age. As long as you live, you need to struggle for life.

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