Age and Experience are important to the workforce in any country. How true is this?

Do you think that age and experience are important to the workforce in any country?
Recently, Singapore is facing a growing problem. The percentage of old people in the population is increasing. This is known as ageism. How did this problem come about? Let me share it with you.

In the past, after the fearful and uncertain days of World War II, there is a period of peace in Singapore. Many couples at that time saw that it was the perfect chance to have children. As a result, there was a baby boom in Singapore. The population of babies increased dramatically, until the government had to stop the surge in the population. After the problem was resolved, everything went back to normal. As the years went by, Singapore began to enter a modern era, and the birth rate decreased. How did this become a problem? Well, the babies that were born in the baby boom eventually grew older as the years went by. They make up Singapore's senior citizen population today! The senior citizen population is huge compared to the percentage of young people because of this reason.
As everyone knows, experience is very important to the workforce. If a person goes to a job interview and is asked whether he has undertaken such a job before, and he says yes, there is a very high chance that he will be hired. Experience is important as people with experience will be more efficient in dealing with problems in their work as they have faced them before, whereas people without experience much seek help or attempt to solved the problems themselves, which takes up a lot of time.
Many companies prefer younger employees to older ones. Old people are more fragile, so they cannot take on some jobs. Young people are more active and strong, so they have many advantages over older people in many areas. Furthermoe, old people can be stubborn sometimes, but young people are more flexible and IT-savvy. I think that experience is important to the workforce, but not age. Age can hinder a person in his job, but experience can aid him to overcome difficulties faster.
Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult for old people to find jobs. The government is encouraging companies to hire more older people. We are also currently facing an economic downturn, so the problem is worsened. Some senior citizens want to work even when they have reached their retirement age, mainly because they are passionate about their jobs or they want to pass time. Most of the senior citizens have the mentality that they have reached their "golden age" and should spend their rest of their lives relaxing. Most old people have experience, while most young people are inexperienced. However, it does not mean that the older you are, the more experienced you become. In this modern era, Singapore has progressed so quickly that most old people are unable to catch up. Young people are equipped with many skills that most old people lack, such as knowledge of IT, programming and anything to do with technology. This is the reason why experience is more important than age in the workforce.

Reflection - Lamb to the Slaughter

The story "Lamb to the Slaughter" tells of a woman who kills her husband and manages to fool the policemen. Why do you think Mary Maloney killed her husband? In my opinion, she did it when she was not in the right state of mind and it was an act of impulse. When she heard the news that her husband was going to leave her, any woman would be shocked, heartbroken and furious. The mixed emotions in her caused her to lose control of herself. At that moment in time, she found a lamb leg by chance, and it was a perfect murder weapon, so she killed her husband.

Do you think that Mary Maloney should be punished to the full extent of the law? Or does she deserve your sympathy? If you say that Mary Maloney should be punished to the full extent of the law, isn't it very unfair to her unborn child, who is completely innocent? Mary Maloney's child has already lost a father, if she goes to jail, won't he become very sad? In my opinion, Mary Maloney deserves some sympathy. She still cares for the welfare of her unborn child and uses all means to protect him, so she is not a cold-blooded murderer.

Does Patrick deserve to die? My answer would be no. Mary Maloney was wrong to kill her husband. Although he betrayed her love for him, this is not a worthy reason for her to kill him. Instead, Mary Maloney could try to talk to Patrick and tell him not to leave for the sake of the child. If he insists on leaving, she could seek help from her friends or family. This way, no lifes will be taken.

Current Affairs: "Economic development vs environmental conservation"

Do you agree that economic development will always have the upper hand over environmental conservation? Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it depends on which point of view you are looking from.

Economic development is crucial for the progress and stability of our economy and society, not to mention our national security. Currently, we are facing an economic downturn, all the more we will need to have a stable economy. Have you heard that even countries like Iceland are beginning to become bankrupt? If we do not have the ability and money to support ourselves, how can we have the ability to protect the environment? If the economy is stable, we can build more facilities, tourist attractions and even help people who are in need overseas. However, there is a growing problem in Singapore, a small island which little natural resources. How can we get the land to build all these things when we are having difficulties making land to build homes? The answer is land reclamation. It is essential for the progress of our economy. With enough land, we can build more tourist attractions, which will help improve the economy. The tourism industry is a key factor in our economy. The Integrated Resort is also under construction. Where do we get the land to build it? Through land reclamation! The IR will not only attract tourists, it will also create more jobs for our people.

Do you know that the population of Singapore is constantly increasing? As a result, the government is finding ways to build more homes for our people. Nowadays, high rised flats are much more common than bungalows or terrace houses as they take up less space and house more people. Do you know that the entire area from Suntec City to Marina lies on reclaimed land? That shows how important land is to us! However, land reclamation damages the marine life near the coast, especially the corals. To minimise the impact on the marine life, the silt release into the water is minimised during the process of land reclamation. This will actually help to lessen the impact on the marine life and it is proven too. The government will also try to preserve some of our natural beaches. We cannot afford to worry about the environment when our economy is at stake. Furthermore, we need land to build more schools to educate the younger generation. We will also need land to build facilities like NeWater plants, libraries and many others.

Environmental conservation is also important. Currently, the world is facing a very serious problem. Global warming. In this modern era, there are many air pollutants, such as vehicles, factories and many others. The carbon dioxide released will accumulate in the ozone layer and begin to trap heat. As a result, more and more heat will be trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. That is why the climate is beginning to change. The ice caps are starting to melt due to the increased temperature. In the end, the sea level will rise dramatically, causing small islands to be submerged completely. Singapore is also at risk. I am sure you do not want this to happen! Everyone, regardless of status or race, has the responsibility to conserve the environment. Since we depend on the environment for natural resources, we must protect it to ensure that future generations will still have the natural resources that we have. Do you know that the area of natural forests in the world is decreasing? This is caused by illegal logging, forest fires, expansion of human settlements and many others. This will cause animals that live there to lose their natural habitats. They may even become extinct! Don't you think that it is unfair for innocent animals to die from the acts of selfish people? Trees form an important part of the ecosystem. That is why our government wants us to recycle paper so as to save trees. Do your part! For the future, for the environment and for the Earth.

Now you understand the advantages and disadvantages of economic development and environmental conservation. I think that both of them must coexist in harmony. Without economic development, we will not have the ability to protect the environment. Without environmental conservation, we will not have a safe place and future for our economy to progress. In my opinion, we, as citizens of Singapore, can start playing our part by not wasting paper and water, encouraging people to take public transport as it reduces carbon emissions, recycling materials that are recyclable, using less plastic bags and not smoking. I think that the government's role is to think of solutions for economic and environmental problems, improving the living conditions for the poor and needy, maintaining the countries security and building facilities for our well-being.

The future may be uncertain, but I believe that if we work together, we can be prepared for any problems that we may face. What are your views?