THE National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) is concerned that there is not sufficient financial cushion for senior citizens, many of whom are experiencing difficulty finding additional income sources other than small pensions.

The association comprises 20,000 members – many of them highly skilled but whose services have been literally made redundant by the high unemployment rate.

“We have many skilled retirees from many different backgrounds, but given the levels of unemployment the use of retirees is largely redundant,” said Denise Eldermire-Shearer, who chairs the NCSC.

According to Eldermire-Shearer, many trained teachers, crafters and other skilled retirees are now sitting idle with much needed skills, but are left behind in the scamper for the few available jobs. Many have resorted to voluntary service, the only means to put their talents to good use.

“They are a repository of a lot of our culture, they have a lot to share,” Eldermire-Shearer pleaded in an interview with the Sunday Observer.

“But it is difficult to push for the use of retirees/seniors when you have so many young, unemployed persons out there and that is a big issue so what we have to do is push for alternative programmes (for them to earn something),” she conceded.

The NCSC members represent only a fraction of the population of seniors. This group, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), is considered one of the fastest growing age groups in Jamaica.

The PIOJ’s 2004 Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica show that 10.4 per cent of Jamaica’s population or 273,000 of the island’s 2.6 million citizens are over age 60, with 52 per cent being females.

Jamaica, according to the survey, “is at an advanced stage of demographic transition” which has resulted in, among other things, the ageing of the population and an increase in the “dependent elderly” age group, that is, those 65 and over and literally out of the labour force.

“The 65-plus age group continued to be the fastest growing segment of the population, while the working age population (15-64) increased at a slower rate and the 0-14 age group was declining,” the report stated.

“These changes in the population structure occurred as a result of declining fertility and mortality rates and increase in life expectancy.”

These issues, the report said, had implications for the formal and informal mechanisms of assistance to the elderly, which highlight the need for effective policies to keep the group out of poverty.

Government is attempting to change its pension policy, a part of which involves a review of the National Insurance Scheme that is now underway. The 40-year-old scheme provides pension for retired contributors.

But the ministry of finance and planning has refused to divulge what steps are being taken to address the concerns of retirees.

The ministry of labour and social security, in the meantime, said the changes in the pensions will be tied to the minimum wage.

“We want to get parity as far as possible within the country,” said Gerry McDaniel, public relations manager at the labour ministry.

“There is no way the pension will fall below the minimum wage.”

The minimum wage itself is also about to go up.

The expected increase will be tied to the rate of inflation, which means, he said, that they will not fall below 16 per cent – the current rate.

At that rate, the new minimum wage will amount to just under $2,800, but the level of increase is to be announced by labour minister Horace Dalley either this week or in January.

McDaniel said consultations and research, that included identifying worldwide best practices and trends in other parts of the region, were now concluded.

“The consultations are complete, but I am not at liberty to say who is proposing what because it’s a tripartite (project). But I can safely say the minister (Horace Dalley) will announce the details before parliament closes (mid-December),” he said.

The NCSC has played a key role in policy decisions as they relate to the seniors. One of the council’s objectives is the promotion and expansion of the social protection systems for seniors to stop them from falling into poverty.

Eldermire-Shearer has seen it all, witnessing the hardships of those who failed to prepare and this has made her to believe that government should make it mandatory for everyone to contribute to a pension scheme.

“The law has to make it compulsory,” she said. “You can’t just sit down and wait on government, although government needs to be there, but persons need to take responsibility for preparing for old age.”

She argued that preparations for retirement life go beyond finances; there was also a need for social arrangements.

“This means how you live your life; to which (social) group you belong; who are your friends; have you been there for them and will they be there for you?” she advised.

On the plus side, the NCSC chair said she had seen a welcome shift in the attitudes of seniors towards preparation for life after retirement. She said persons were more educated on the impact of preparation or a lack thereof.

“The media has stepped up to the plate and has become aware of the issue, placing more emphasis on them, hereby sensitising persons about this need,” she said.

martina@jamaicaobserver.com