More cancer survivors are returning to work. Are employers ready to support them?

As more cancer survivors return to work, employers increasingly face the question of how to support them – but efforts on the ground remain inconsistent, even as Singapore marks National Cancer Survivors Month in June. NTU Asst Prof Akshar Saxena says presenteeism is among the hardest effects to measure, and the productivity loss it represents can be substantial. “These are people who have technically returned to work but are not functioning at their previous capacity,” says the health economist, who is studying workforce participation and presenteeism among cancer patients with the National Cancer Centre Singapore. Such productivity gaps rarely show up in official statistics, he adds. Prof Saxena also notes gaps in how workers recovering from serious illness are assessed for returning to work. “What would be more useful is certification that specifies functional capacity – what the worker can do, at what intensity, and for how long. That gives employers something practical to work with.”

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