Daily Briefing: 50 firms raise retirement or re-employment ages; Moov seeks license to expand 1,000-bike fleet

And NUS researchers invent “smart” clothing that boosts bluetooth and wifi connectivity.

From Channel News Asia:

More than 50 companies have voluntarily raised the retirement or re-employment ages of their workers beyond the statutory requirements, said NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng on Thursday.

NTUC said in July that about 20 unionised companies had either raised the retirement age or did not stipulate a retirement age for its workers. These companies include the Gardens by the Bay, Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore and ComfortDelGro Group.

Mr Ng’s call to employers comes as a tripartite workgroup has been studying how far and how fast the retirement and re-employment ages should be raised beyond 62 and 67 respectively.

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said in March that representatives from the Government, employers and unions had reached a consensus on the need to raise the two ages. Set up last May, the workgroup has been looking at this issue and the impact of Central Provident Fund (CPF) contribution rates on retirement adequacy of older workers, among other things.

Read more here.

From DealStreetAsia:

Singapore-based bike-sharing startup Moov is expanding its fleet of bicycles in the city-state after launching in late June, an announcement revealed.

Moov has applied for a full license with the Land Transport Authority to expand its fleet. The startup did not indicate how many bicycles it will add to its fleet as soon as it gets the full license. Currently, it operates a fleet of 1,000 bikes under a sandbox license.

Moov will be competing with local startups Anywheel and SG Bike, which have licenses to operate 10,000 bikes and 3,000 bikes, respectively.

Read more here.

From Reuters:

Researchers in Singapore have invented ‘smart’ clothing they say can boost signals and save battery life on wireless devices such as headphones and smart watches.

The invention called “metamaterial” allows radio waves like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to glide across clothing between wearable devices instead of radiating outwards in all directions.

This means sensors and wearable technology such as Apple Watches and AirPods can establish stronger connections faster and save energy, the scientists at the National University of Singapore said.

“This T-shirt increases the wireless connectivity of devices around my body by 1,000 times,” said assistant professor John Ho, donning a sports shirt laced with comb-shaped strips of the metamaterial textile.

It could also keep signals more secure by transmitting sensitive information close to the body and away from potential eavesdroppers on the radio waves, the scientists said.

Read more here.