SINGAPORE – As an “old man” in his early 70s, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong envies the young men and women of today.

They have many more opportunities and a better quality of living than those who lived through Singapore’s early years. And while they were not part of the exhilarating journey from Third World to First, they are starting at a higher level and can continue to move upwards with hard work, he said.

Responding to a question about whether the younger generations can still do better than the generations before, an optimistic PM Lee said: “I would feel very disappointed that a young person was pessimistic about his opportunities in life and wished he had been born earlier.

“I wish I had been born later.”

Each generation of Singaporeans has worked hard to ensure that future generations can do better, said PM Lee, 72, particularly highlighting the contributions of the Pioneer generation and Merdeka generation – now in their 60s or older – who faced many challenges in Singapore’s early days of nation-building.

The country’s future is bright, and young Singaporeans have reasons to be confident that they will continue to move upwards, he added.

When he was young, only between 3 per cent and 4 per cent of his generation went to universities, he said.

Now, between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of Singaporeans go on to one of the six autonomous universities here, and practically all of them have the opportunity to go on an externship or overseas attachment somewhere, he added.

The youth of today also have access to technology which allows them to connect to the world, be more productive and take on “all kinds of jobs which my generation never heard of”, he said.

“E-sports trainer – you can make a living! You are sitting there playing with your fingers and mouse, in a super special chair with a big screen, and you can make a living. So is that a worse life than the previous generation? I do not think so,” quipped PM Lee, ever the technophile.

“Well, I think my starting point is, as an old man, I envy the young men and women. Because you are enjoying advantages and opportunities which never existed in my generation.”

What the current generations will not experience, though, is the journey from Third World to First, and the attending rapid improvements that allowed previous generations to pursue constant upgrading of homes and other material possessions, acknowledged PM Lee.

Stories abound of those who had started off with a three-room flat and ended up with an executive apartment or even upgraded to private property.

“We took them there on the journey – started poor, progressed rapidly year by year, and ended up with most not poor. Many well-off and some very, very successful. That is an exhilarating journey,” he said.

But this also means current generations are now starting off at a much higher level, said PM Lee.

In terms of the quality of life – the amenities, connections, social environment in the neighbourhoods – Singapore is comparable to, if not better than, nearly every other major city in the world, he added.

He acknowledged that there is not a lot of space to “decompress” in Singapore, which is mostly developed.

But while there is no option to go “upstate”, unlike the residents of, say, Manhattan in New York and other major cities elsewhere, Singaporeans can travel to neighbouring countries which are not very far away, said PM Lee, noting that that is what many people do.

To young people, PM Lee said: “You are not starting at the same very low level, but you are starting at a higher level and a higher quality of accommodation as well as life. Can you bring it higher? Answer is yes.

“It will not improve as fast as before, but you came very fast... and you are not going back down. You are going up from here – slower – but if we work at it, we can continue moving upwards.”

During the interview, PM Lee also spoke about the anxieties of older Singaporeans who want to continue working.

Employment rates by age show that older workers in Singapore have a statistically higher chance of working compared with those in other developed economies, he said.

With Singapore’s economy always in need of workers, companies should look at how they can adapt and redesign jobs for older workers, and also workers as they age.

Meanwhile, said PM Lee, the Government will continue to prepare workers through SkillsFuture for new opportunities that arise even as their industries get disrupted.

“Many people are working well into their 60s now and sometimes into their 70s, like me. And actually, happy to have that work because it gives you something to do. It is purposeful, it is not just earning the money, but I wake up in the morning, there is something I want to do in life.”