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The rapid aging of Malaysia's population is a critical social phenomenon that warrants an in-depth investigation. Understanding the subjective well-being (SWB) of older persons is crucial for sound policymaking in aging societies. The existing literature emphasizes the importance of including noneconomic factors to understand one’s well-being holistically. The current study uses data from the Malaysia Ageing and Retirement Survey (MARS) to investigate the satisfaction with their lives using arrays of variables, including demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, living arrangements, social engagement, and health. The analysis revealed that the SWB increases with age after the age of 40 until approximately 77.5 years old. The results showed that some factors influence SWB of older persons differently by living arrangements and gender. A negative association was found between being employed and SWB of older male persons living alone and between participating in family activities and SWB of older female persons living alone, as those activities could increase distress in their lives. Social activities such as social outing were found to enhance SWB of older persons. For those living with a spouse only, having difficulties with ADL negatively affects the SWB. The findings of this study underscore the importance of catering to older persons with different living arrangements and genders to ensure the most effective and efficient support for older persons in Malaysia.

This paper uses two methodologies to explore the extent to which greater labor force participation among older Malaysians can expand Malaysia’s labor supply. The Milligan–Wise method estimates the potential to increase the labor force participation rate of older Malaysians by estimating how much they would work if they were to work as much as those with the same mortality rate in the past. The Cutler, Meara, and Richards-Shubik ( 2013 ) method estimates the same potential by estimating how much older Malaysians would work if they worked as much as their younger counterparts in similar health. We made further simulations to quantify the capacity of older Malaysians to work after they are 60 years old. The results show significant additional work capacity among older people in Malaysia, particularly males, urban dwellers, and those with low educational attainment.

Predictors of wages and salaries (earnings) are investigated to track the impact of COVID-19 on wages and salaries dynamics in Malaysia for 2019 and 2020. Data obtained from Salary and Wages Survey (2019 and 2020) is used to estimate the Mincerian models for those years. The main findings are: Firstly, public sector employees receive lesser impact during COVID-19; secondly, the younger (15–19 and 20–24) and the older (60–64) workers experienced significant reduction in earnings; thirdly, citizens in public sector saw a large improvement in earnings compared to non-citizens; fourthly, ethnic Bumiputera in public sector received 4% lower earnings than the reference category (Indian ethnic) in 2019 but in 2020, this reduced by half; and finally from a regional perspective, employees in West Coast, both public and private seems to experience earnings reduction in 2020 closer to the reference category. In a way, COVID-19 is a ‘blessing in disguise’ as urban–rural and male–female earnings gap in private sector reduced and citizens in public sector saw a rise in their earnings. We recommend the following. Firstly, those with lower education and low-skilled should invest more in human capital. Provision of specific skill-based or life-long learning programs are essential. Secondly, more targeted measures to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on declining wages and salaries to specific group of people will bring them far. Finally, the younger and older workers appear to be more vulnerable. More skill development opportunities enable the younger participants to build human capital. For older workers, concrete income generation opportunities through entrepreneurial opportunities (private) or extending the age of retirement (public) are essential.

Objectives Ageing is often associated with deteriorating mental and physical health and the need for long-term care, creating a fear of ageing. We investigated what people fear most in terms of disabling chronic diseases and their concerns regarding having long-term illnesses. Methods Data were obtained from an online survey of 518 respondents aged 40 years and older residing in Malaysia, which was based on a convenience sample collected in May 2015 to January 2016. Data were analyzed using chi-squared tests and multinomial logistic regression. Results Of the most dreaded diseases, heart disease and cancer are life-threatening; however, dementia, diabetes, and hypertension persist and have a disabling effect for a long time. While there were variations in the diseases feared most across sex, ethnicity, and place of residence, the biggest worry for all respondents with regard to having a long-term illness was that they would become a burden to their family, a concern that superseded fear of dying. Conclusions We found our survey respondents had a fear of chronic diseases and placing a burden on others. Thus, there is a need to provide motivation for people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, to remain healthy.

The present study first examines the trends in age structural shifts in selected Asian economies over the period 1950–2050 and analyzes their impact on economic growth in terms of the first and second demographic dividends computed from the system of National Transfer Accounts. Then, using the National Transfer Accounts, we analyze the effect of the age structural shifts on the pattern of intergenerational transfers in Japan; the Republic of Korea; and Taipei,China. A brief comparison of the results reveals that, in the next few decades, the latter two are likely to follow in Japan's footsteps by increasing public transfers and asset reallocations, and by reducing familial transfers, particularly among older persons. Next, we consider a newly defined demographic dividend, which is generated through the use of the untapped work capacity of healthy older persons and to which we refer as “the silver” or “the third” demographic dividend. By drawing upon microlevel datasets obtained from Japan and Malaysia, we calculate the magnitude of the impact of that dividend on macroeconomic growth in each of the two economies, concluding that while in Japan the expected effect is substantial, in Malaysia it will take several decades before the country can enjoy comparable benefits.

Background Population ageing is a global phenomenon that resulted from the demographic transition. Senescence leads to increasing dependency on carrying out Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Limitations in ADL impact not only the individual but also the society through higher demand for social and health care services. Thus, this study aims to describe the prevalence of ADL limitation and determine factors associated with transition from independence to ADL limitation among community-dwelling older adults in Malaysia. Methods A prospective cohort study using data from 2275 adults aged 60 and above from the Malaysia Ageing and Retirement Survey, was conducted. Respondents were categorised into independent and with ADL limitation, defined as the inability to carry out at least one ADL item, measured using items adapted from the Barthel’s index. Those who were independent at baseline were followed up three years later to determine their ADL limitation status. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess whether sociodemographic and health factors such as age, sex, education attainment, multimorbidity, cognition, level of physical activity, health status, and body mass index (BMI) predicted the transition from independence to ADL limitation. Results The baseline prevalence of ADL limitation was 15.7%. Among those who were independent at baseline, 8.2% developed ADL limitation at follow-up. Increasing age, female sex, poor health status, lower levels of physical activity, and abnormal BMI were predictors of transition from independence to ADL limitation at follow-up (AUC = 0.83). Conclusions The prevalence of ADL limitation among community-dwelling older adults in Malaysia was comparable to the other reported figures. Lower levels of physical activity and abnormal BMI were two modifiable predictors of transition to ADL limitation among independent older adults. As such, policy strategies to further enhance active lifestyles and maintain normal BMI levels, especially among independent older adults, should be explored.

Japan is the oldest society in the world. It has the highest proportion of the population aged 65 and over, a demographic indicator that has been used by demographers for more than a century. One of the main objectives of this study is to apply a new indicator—the cognition-adjusted dependency ratio (CADR)—to remeasure the level of population aging from an innovative point of view. To compute this new index, we apply the mean age-group-specific immediate recall scores for Japan and four other Asian countries, and we compare the results with those derived from the United States and various developed nations in Europe. Our analysis shows that Japan’s pattern and level of age-related decline in cognitive functioning are highly comparable to those of many other developed nations, particularly in Continental Europe. Among the other Asian countries, Malaysia shows a pattern of change similar to countries in Southern Europe, although Malaysia has slightly lower scores than Southern Europe in all age groups. More importantly, these comparative results based on CADR are astonishingly different from the corresponding results obtained from conventional old-age dependency ratios. The Japanese case is the most salient example.

This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between the discretion of street-level bureaucrats and their willingness to implement as well as between discretion and client meaningfulness by testing street-level bureaucrat theory in a different context. The effect of discretion on willingness to implement and client meaningfulness may differ due to perceived supervisory support. Data from 241 bureaucrats (labor inspectors) in the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources indicated that discretion significantly influences bureaucrats' willingness to implement and client meaningfulness. Critically, the moderating role of perceived supervisory support augmented only the positive impact of discretion on client meaningfulness; for example, this relationship is more significant among bureaucrats who perceive high supervisory support. This study sheds new light on the notable role of supervisory support in ensuring that discretion enhances client meaningfulness and willingness to implement.

The New Economic Model for Malaysia (NEM) 2010 defines inclusiveness as one of the three pillars of a developed society in the next decade and beyond. The underlying principle of the inclusiveness objective of the plan is to enable every Malaysian to have access to opportunities in order to contribute to the economy and to ensure that essential needs of the people are met. The question is to what extent does the present scenario support this objective of equalising opportunities? Also, in ensuring that essential needs of the people are met without marginalising any group, are the existing social safety nets policies adequate to support every Malaysian to sustain a decent living standard? This is of particular concern to the old age group that is getting bigger due to a very low population growth and an increasing average life span of 71.7 years for males and 75 years for females. Elence, this paper attempts to answer these questions and other related issues. It is divided into three parts: the first part defines the key concepts and framework employed in this paper; the second part examines the existing social protection schemes in Malaysia and analyses some case studies of NGOs working with the elderly and the final part offers some policy recommendations as a way forward. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

The history of the Faculty of Economics and Administration (FEA) at the University of Malaya, the oldest faculty of economics in Malaysia, is inter-twined with the history of the nation of Malaysia. In response to the nation's push for economic development, from modest beginnings in 1966, FEA has been growing from strength to strength. With remarkable agility, it has responded to changes both locally and globally. In fact, changes at FEA have also closely reflected the changing economic landscape of the nation. This special issue of MJES in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the faculty contains nine contributions on various topics and issues pertinent to Malaysia's socioeconomic development since independence.