A comprehensive 12-month study of Singapore's funeral industry will be conducted to scrutinise standards and assess manpower demands.
This follows a series of recent blunders, including a mix-up at a funeral home that resulted in the wrong body being cremated.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) put up a tender on government procurement portal GeBiz on June 2 for a consultancy firm to survey the funeral services scene. The findings will be used to formulate policies for further developing the industry.
The NEA is the lead planning agency for after-death facilities and services here. Responding to The Straits Times, the agency said the study's key conclusions would be shared with the Association of Funeral Directors Singapore and other parties, so that they can "explore areas for collaboration".
This would ensure that the funerary industry has a ready pool of competent workers, as the annual number of deaths in the Republic is set to double from about 20,000 in 2016 to 40,000 in 2040 due to the country's ageing population, NEA added.
"This will drive demand for after-death services infrastructure and also industry manpower to support the provision of such services."
The in-depth study will cover the entire industry, including funeral parlour operators and embalmers.
It will identify skills gaps by comparing the desired education needs of funeral firms against the qualifications of those they now hire, as well as "quality jobs" that offer competitive salaries and career progression.
The industry's standards will also be benchmarked against the best practices in other countries.
The study comes just a few months after the NEA issued stricter rules for licensed funeral parlours, which include locking embalming rooms at all times with access restricted to authorised staff and using body identification tags bearing details such as the deceased's name and gender.
Mr Ang Zisheng, president of the Association of Funeral Directors Singapore, told The Straits Times that a study of the profession is "long overdue" and has come as a result of many engagement sessions with the NEA over the years.
The funeral business had been largely neglected for years, he said, adding that the study should also look into the space allocated to funeral service providers.
Mr Ang Ziqian, chairman of Mount Vernon Sanctuary, said the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the funeral profession, which serves an essential need in the community. He hopes the study will go towards offering funeral professionals a more conducive environment to work in.
Mr Jeffrey Lee, sales and marketing manager at Simplicity Casket, has observed increasing numbers of young and educated individuals who are keen on joining the trade.
He said it is only fitting to push for improvements to build up this future talent pool.
Mr Hoo Hung Chye, senior funeral director at Singapore Funeral Services, said industry professionals should be provided with basic training and continuing education to help them update their skills.
This will allow them to "better serve the families and uphold the dignity of the deceased", he added.
