450,000 or 349,000 will benefit from pioneer generation package?

February 10, 2014

450,000 will benefit?

Further to my article “The alternative news in 1 day? (part 52) – Pioneer generation package?” (Feb 9) – someone made a comment asking if there is any way of checking as to how the 450,000 people that will be eligible for the pioneer generation package was derived?

404,400 residents aged 65 & over?

According to the Department of Statistics (DOS) – the number of residents (Singaporeans and PRs) aged 65 and over, was 404,400 in 2013.

How many Singaporeans aged 65 & over?

Since the pioneer generation package is only for Singaporeans only, how many of the 404,400 are Singaporeans?

About 348,593 (assuming that the ratio of PRs to the total resident population at 13.8% is the same for this group)? 

Since those who became citizens in 1987 and after, are not eligible for the package, there may be an even lesser number who are eligible.

But, let’s just ignore this, as I have no way of estimating what this figure may be.

So, how did we get 450,000?

Since the latest population statistics are based on mid-year estimates, let’s say that perhaps the 450,000 is based on the latest “unpublished” statistics as of say December 2013.

In this regard, as the year-on-year growth rate was 6.8% for this group – let’s assume that there was an increase of 3.4% from mid 2013 to end 2013.

What we get is 418,150 residents or an estimated 360,445 Singaporeans.

But this figure is still quite far from the “450,000” figure.

Even if every single resident in this group are Singaporeans and none of them became citizens after 1986, the number may still be quite far off from “450,000”?

Well, your guess is as good as mine as to how this figure was derived?

Leong Sze Hian

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About the Author

Leong
Leong Sze Hian has served as the president of 4 professional bodies, honorary consul of 2 countries, an alumnus of Harvard University, authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been a radio talkshow host, a newspaper daily columnist, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for theonlinecitizen and Malaysiakini, executive producer of Ilo Ilo (40 international awards), Hotel Mumbai (associate producer), invited to speak more than 200 times in about 40 countries, CIFA advisory board member, founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of 2 countries. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional  qualifications.