a day ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Man with economics degree jobless for 8 months, says he only asked for S$4.5k
SINGAPORE: Unsure if his struggles were simply a stroke of bad luck or a sign of a deeper problem, one unemployed local recently turned to Reddit to ask how the job market is really faring for Singaporeans.
Writing on the r/askSingapore forum, the local, who has four years of experience (most of it in the banking industry) and a PTE degree in economics, shared that it had been eight long months since he last held a full-time job.
He went on to add that his expectations were not too demanding. His previous pay had been S$4,100, and all he was hoping for was something in the range of S$4,500, an amount that he said was comparable to what 'many fresh graduates' now receive.
Yet even with such modest requests, doors remained firmly shut. 'It's been way too difficult,' he expressed.
The prolonged struggle led him to question if locals might be 'asking for too much.' He also raised broader concerns, asking if jobs were being shifted to neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia or if his qualifications 'were simply not good enough.'
In the meantime, to tide himself over, the local said he has taken up temporary work at a café. 'Job market's been brutal lately.'
His post drew responses from other Reddit users, many of whom shared similar frustrations about the current job market and their own challenges with unemployment.
'Generally, I think it's quite tough,' one user commented. 'It took me like 9 months to land a job, and I sent like over a hundred applications monthly.'
Another said, 'Found a job this year after 2 months of searching, but it's mostly luck and the right opportunity, but I agree it is quite tough at the moment, as most popular roles get 600+ applicants easily, and HR is too overwhelmed to get back to most folks. Got ghosted a few times midway, too, which was frustrating.'
A third wrote, 'Job market's been brutal lately, honestly feels like employers want 5 years' experience, a master's degree, and 24/7 availability, but still paying fresh grad salary. It's not really about locals asking for too much, it's more about companies cutting costs and squeezing talent. Don't lose hope, though.'
Others, however, said that this has perhaps nothing to do with the job market and everything to do with his skills and expectations.
One remarked, 'It definitely means your resume and/or past experience is not cutting it. There really are tons of temp/ renewable contract roles in banking. Not sure what your exact background is, but S$4.5k is not 'fresh grad salary' at many places….'
Another told him, 'If you are asking for S$4.5k but nobody wants you, it means you are not worth S$4.5k. You either make your profile more attractive, reduce your expectations, or continue working in the cafe. Simple as that.'
In other news, a man shared on social media that he is now having second thoughts about applying for a (Build-to-Order) BTO flat with his wife after she repeatedly lied about using a male online streaming app and spending over S$3,000 on virtual gifts.
On Monday (Jul 21), he took to the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit to seek advice. In his post, he said that when he first caught her sending expensive gifts to male singers from China, she dismissed his concerns and deleted both the app and her messaging accounts so that he 'could not see their conversations.'
Read more: Man reconsiders BTO plans after wife repeatedly lied about using male online streaming app and spending over S$3k on virtual gifts
