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In 2024, 13,200 residents stayed out of the workforce to care for elderly — the highest in five years, above the 2021‑2025 average of 12,000.
In 2025, the number of residents who had left employment due to eldercare commitments, was 12,300 – a decrease from the previous year (13,200), according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Singapore.
The Ministry was responding to a parliamentary query on mandating eldercare leave.
The table below shows the total number of residents who were outside the labour force due to eldercare commitments from 2021 to 2025, together with their age and gender breakdown:
Among the group illustrated above, an average of 11.9%, or around 1,500 individuals each year, had left their last job within the preceding year (i.e., if the data was recorded in 2024, the individual had left their job in 2023).
According to MOM, the Government carefully weighs how well policies support different caregiving needs, while also balancing employers’ operations and caregivers’ ability to work.
Acknowledging that many working caregivers have indicated positive response to flexible working arrangements (FWAs) as the most useful form of support, MOM said it has been focusing its efforts on encouraging FWA adoption and other work-life harmony practices to help caregivers manage work and personal responsibilities.
"This is done through the Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests (TG-FWAR) as well as FWA implementation resources and training by tripartite partners and the Institute of Human Resource Professionals.
"The Government will continue to review our support schemes for working caregivers," MOM said.
For more stories on caregiver support across Asia, check out our recent one on why recognising caregivers is more than just a symbolic gesture.
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