Shiftwork in Singapore.
In 1985, over 94,000 persons were engaged in shiftwork. With the continued emphasis on capital-intensive industries and growing demand for "round-the-clock" services, shiftwork is increasingly becoming an economic necessity in many industries in Singapore. A survey in 1991 confirmed this trend. The study covered 4,996 private sector establishments employing 25 or more paid employees. 34.4% of the establishments had shiftworkers. In terms of employees, 32% or 206,965 employees were working shifts. While the 8-hour shift schedule was still the predominant pattern, there was a ten-fold increase in the number of 12-hour shiftworkers. A trend towards permanent shift schedules was also noted. It was interesting that the proportion of shiftworkers doing nightwork decreased to 36.9% from 45.1% in 1985. The health implications of shiftwork have been widely reported. So far, our own studies indicate no serious long-term health effects among shiftworkers. However, further studies are needed to determine if preventive measures can be taken to minimise the common complaints of sleep problems and tiredness, particularly among rotating shiftworkers.