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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Tiny detail on job advertisement exposes huge problem of trying to land an entry-level role: 'I fell into this trap'
Young Aussies have vented their frustration at having to compete with hundreds of other applicants for entry-level jobs that are paying just $50,000 per year. A disgruntled Reddit user posted a screenshot of a listing for a Level 1 Helpdesk Technician that had been posted on job website Seek. The advertisement drew 919 applications, with the Perth-based role offering between $50,000 and $65,000 a year. 'About three years ago, when I decided my career and studies, all you heard about was how IT was booming in Australia and you could land a good job with just a TAFE course,' the Reddit user wrote. 'I just feel like I fell into this trap.' The user, who said they are a recent graduate from a TAFE IT Advanced Diploma, said 'trying to land an entry level job seems almost impossible at the moment'. 'I never took for granted that just the diploma would give me a job, and always did self study, projects, and tried to do networking with people in the industry,' they said. 'But this is just the bare minimal in these days. I just wonder if I'm doing something wrong or the market is just cooked as it seems.' An Aussie with a TAFE IT Advanced Diploma shared the horror of seeing more than 900 people applying for just one entry level role on the job website SEEK Social media users leapt into the comments to offer some anecdotal insight into why there were so many applications. 'From a recruitment perspective, most of those applications are either from bots or from overseas applications hoping for a visa,' one said. Another recruiter related to the situation: 'As someone who has advertised for a similar position recently and received about 480 applicants - this is the answer. 'Out of those applicants at least 50 per cent are either overseas or visa limited applicants wanting sponsorship. 'Of the remaining 50 per cent, another 20 per cent are eastern states based... but don't mention anything about either having relocated or that they plan to relocate etc. 'Of the remaining 30 per cent another 15 per are just straight-up applying for the sake of meeting Centrelink requirements,' they said, using the example of a hairdresser with a cover page looking for hair dressing positions applying for an IT position. They said that, among the remaining 15 per cent, ten per cent are not suitable, and then of the final five per cent, some had invalid contact details or did not respond. Others said they had also struggled to find a job due to the high competition. 'Why me, with ten years' experience and living in smack dead centre of Perth, who has applied for over hundreds of jobs over the past two years, haven't been able to land a job?' one wrote. Another added: 'Getting the first job in IT after Tafe is the difficult one. After that, it's easy to find work.' Another woman highlighted how the same issue was being experienced across the ditch in New Zealand, after revealing in a TikTok video the staggering number of competitors she had to compete with to land a job. On the first page listing her applications, some jobs had up to 830 people also submitting their details for the role. The former government employee said she had applied for a range of job sectors, including work in hospitality, retail, office administration, and warehouse roles. Two days later, the Christchurch local took to TikTok again to say the most popular job now had 865 applicants, but that she had managed to get an interview for it. Hundreds of sympathetic social media users commented on the first video, sharing their own woes when job hunting. 'I must have applied for 100 jobs and had five interviews before I got my job. it's rough.. good luck,' one said. Another said: 'Two years unemployed in Australia here... it's REALLY bad... there's just so many people and so little work.' New LinkedIn research, based on a survey of 1,080 employed Australians by Pure Profile between May 30 and June 5, revealed that 60 per cent of Australians say they are missing out on relevant roles. The reason was not due to a lack of skills, but because they said they are overwhelmed by outdated job search tools and unclear job titles. At least 44 per cent said they feel burnt out from searching for jobs online. The unemployment rate reached 4.3 per cent in June, which was the highest since November 2021, as states and cities emerged from Covid lockdowns. The number of full-time jobs fell by 38,000, while 40,000 part-time jobs were created in June, signalling a sharp drop in working hours. LinkedIn's Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Matt Tindale, said 'today's job search can feel limited by rigid filters and predefined boxes'. 'Mid-year is a natural time for professionals to pause and reflect on their careers – to reassess their goals and consider roles that truly inspire them,' he said.
Independent Singapore
21-07-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
'Savings? What savings? How Singaporeans are surviving paycheck to paycheck'
SINGAPORE: In an instant of vulnerability, a Reddit user in his late 20s posted an earnest revelation that resonated with thousands: 'This post is just for me to know I'm not alone. I'm nearly 30 yet have no savings due to circumstances such as no allowance for nearly two decades and having to help pay off expensive bills. Every pay after offsetting important bills makes me feel like I'm back to square one… I am trying my very best still and just wondering how others around my age are coping.' Soon, others began to share their own stories, not with judgment, but with agreement. 'Enjoy life while you can.' One of the most touching reactions came from a netizen who had fought cancer in her late 20s. 'I'm surviving well, with around S$1,000 in savings. The rest went to healthcare. Don't think too much — enjoy your life while you can. Many dying people your age would give everything they have for a few days of your life.' The message wasn't indifferent to financial pressure, but a compelling reminder that life's worth isn't only measured in how thick one's bank book is. The post-pandemic financial freefall Another Redditor showed how his uncertain recovery from the COVID-19 financial drain was suddenly dashed: 'All my savings were wiped out during the first COVID outbreak. Just as I started rebuilding, my company retrenched me. Everything gone again.' Now that he is in a new job on probation, he's in survival mode — juggling bills, becoming skilled at DIY home upkeep, and cuddling every cent of savings from transport handovers. 'Living hand to mouth and hoping nothing explodes at home.' 'It's okay to start over.' Many in their 30s are hitting the reset financial button. Medical expenses, price increases, and stagnant salaries have merged into a seamless tornado that's left many tramping waters. 'It's okay to start over — it's not too late. Any savings is good savings,' one netizen reassured. The Redditor suggested tapping into government subsidies and grants like CDC vouchers, SG60 promotions, and WTC transport discounts for lower-income earners. 'These save me about $20 to S$30 a month — it adds up.' Some commenters exposed extremely personal challenges — medical ailments kept secret from their families, with swelling expenditures draining their funds every month. 'Every other month, there's something that needs looking at. It's so awful,' one Redditor wrote. Their voice joined a rising echo — numerous adults are just about hanging on, mutely going through their struggles away from the public eye. A different path: Choosing experience However, one commenter stood out for taking a different turn at 30. 'I took a gap year and went to travel and volunteer overseas with only S$10,000 to my name.' Upon his return, he spent the subsequent five years conscientiously saving. Now at 35, he has bought a flat, with zero debt (apart from a loan settled via CPF), and is working towards expanding his financial portfolio. 'All is not lost if you set your priorities right.' Others shared everyday sacrifices that have become part of their routine — hopping away from restaurants in favour of food courts, to walking instead of riding on buses or trains. 'I only have S$2,000 in the bank. No job for 3.5 years. I rely on CDC vouchers and walk home often.' You're not the only one The original Reddit post may have begun as a call for comfort and encouragement, but it swiftly turned into something more reflective, a digital campfire where most of those gathered said, 'Me too.' If you're approaching 30, trying hard to build savings, and feeling like you've fallen behind, know this — you're not alone. Others are treading on parallel paths — grinding, starting over, and doing the best they can. In that collective experience, relief, flexibility, and the inaudible hope that things will get better can be found. Because even when you're back to square one, you're not starting from nothing — you're starting from experience.
Independent Singapore
18-07-2025
- General
- Independent Singapore
Iron rice bowl but in boiling water? S'porean ‘miserable' in gov't job wants to know if anyone else can relate
SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user who vented about the miseries of working in their particular government job wanted to know if anyone else out there is experiencing the same thing. In a post on r/askSingapore on Thursday (July 17), u/bigDolphin1357, wondered if they're just unlucky in their job. Part of the problem is that most of the people at work are in their 50s, and the few young ones 'backstab each other because we're each other's only competition.' Adding to the misery is rampant gossip 'because there's too little work, and people have to fight for it,' and the post author claimed they are busy but openly play games on their phones. 'Information is prized and used as social currency, or if it's yours, it's weaponised against you. As a result, I don't have a single friend here, and I trust no one in my department,' they added. The post author's salary is also substantially smaller than their friends working in the private sector, and they asked why they're working for such little pay, 'when everything goes to scholars?' They'd like to quit their job but can't afford it. One popular comment on the post described the post author's job as an 'Iron bowl but on boiling water.' 'Iron rice bowl' refers to work that has guaranteed security, which is often public sector or government jobs with secure and stable income. The phrase comes from a Chinese idiom, 'tie fan wan' ( 铁饭碗 ), referring to a now-abolished system of lifetime work in China. 'I have worked in three different gov't agencies, and every single agency has really burned me out mentally and physically. If you are pushing for promotion, then you should avoid the rat race. If you wish to have higher earnings, then you should leave as soon as possible. The reason is that your portfolio may not be as attractive compared to those who are already in the private sector. It is your call. I also wish I could shake a leg, but I see more people resigning due to the workload. Iron bowl but on boiling water,' the commenter wrote. Others also expressed they were surprised that the post author had written that there's not enough work to keep people busy at the post author's work, since most government employees they know experience the opposite and are overworked. 'What agency is that? Over at my place, we're worked to the bone,' a commenter noted. 'It sounds like a localised issue. I assure you, there are other parts of the gov't where the work is overflowing,' another added. Others offered the post author advice. 'There are no friends at the workplace because everyone has a conflict of interest. I think you can consider an internal transfer or continue job hunting in private. Meanwhile, continue to upskill yourself,' one advised them. 'Why don't you just jump to another government sector like you said? Private sector may not necessarily be better btw… It could be even more competitive, and you can easily be retrenched, and office politics is everywhere, no matter where you go, so you won't be able to avoid that,' another wrote. 'Ask for a transfer out, but be prepared to be overworked elsewhere; I never had a lack of work to do while in civil service,' said a Reddit user. One who had a similar experience and could relate to the post author wrote that the young people they used to work with, 'those in their mid to late twenties, like you said, are very susceptible to politics and still kinda childish. They have trouble regulating their emotions to stay professional. IMO, millennials kinda hit the sweet spot, like those from their 30s onwards, because they have some work experience and are not too traditional-minded like the boomer generation. Best to identify your tribe and stick with them. But maaan, I feel you, I too wish I could be like my cousins or friends in a corporate or NGO setting aligned with their passions and having a better work-life balance. All the best, man, comes down to luck at this point!' /TISG Read also: No longer an iron rice bowl? Is public service losing its appeal to the new generation?
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Aussies unleash after teen's gross act on train: 'Surely there's an emergency button'
Commuters in Sydney were horrified when they spotted a passenger receiving a hair cut in one of the carriages, behaviour which could see people fined up to $400. A photo emerged on Reddit on Wednesday of a man using clippers on another person with the caption: 'Saw a guy getting haircut in train.' 'Was travelling in train today and saw these people recording and giving a haircut to a guy lol,' the Reddit user said. Australians erupted over the photo in the comments, calling it 'absolute filth' and 'gross'. 'I didn't think grubs cutting their toe nails during their morning commute could be topped, but this is the world we live in now,' one said. When a commenter asked 'Did these grubs clean up after?', the person who posted the photo said they ran away. A third person quipped: 'surely there's an emergency button for that'. Some people were driven to recount their own tales of unhygienic behaviour on trains, with one user recounting a train journey from Hurstville to Central. 'This just had a flashback to the early 00s... and this lady across from me was clipping her nails and plucking her eyebrows,' they said. 'She had a lil pile of crud on her bag and when she was done she just casually pushed it onto the floor.' In a statement, a Transport for NSW spokesperson said hair cuts are inappropriate on their trains. 'Public transport is a shared space - and with that comes a shared responsibility to respect the comfort, safety, and expectations of others,' they said. 'While public transport etiquette may not list every example, behaviours such as clipping nails or cutting hair on a train are not appropriate. 'Fines of up to $400 can apply for willfully interfering with the safety and comfort of others.'
