Young Jiak Liao Bee kpkb on Job security… he should have taken uptron path and learn Hindi as mother tongue

[k1976]

‘Job security pretty much doesn’t exist’: Young Singaporean feels let down by ‘formula for success’​

By​

MARCH 29, 2025

SINGAPORE: A young Singaporean felt disillusioned when he realized that working hard, getting good grades, and doing internships didn’t automatically lead to success like he thought they would.

In his post on the r/askSingapore subreddit, he wrote, “Growing up, we were promised a formula for success: work hard, get into a good (secondary school), a good JC (junior college), a good university, a strong Uni GPA (university grade point average), do four internships—and things would fall into place. I followed that path as best I could, but now that I’m here, the world feels increasingly bleak and uncertain.”


“I worry about the future. Job security pretty much doesn’t exist. Pay never matches housing inflation. The cost of living is rising, the middle class is shrinking, and the working class are already struggling to get by. (Older Singaporeans want to work?!).”

On top of financial worries, he admitted to feeling somewhat helpless, writing, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to retire comfortably. I don’t know how to meaningfully help with the climate crisis. There’s a sense of helplessness I can’t shake.”

 

[k1976]

“I worry about the future. Job security pretty much doesn’t exist. Pay never matches housing inflation. The cost of living is rising, the middle class is shrinking, and the working class are already struggling to get by. (Older Singaporeans want to work?!).”

On top of financial worries, he admitted to feeling somewhat helpless, writing, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to retire comfortably. I don’t know how to meaningfully help with the climate crisis. There’s a sense of helplessness I can’t shake.”

 

[k1976]

He also shared that the thought of bringing a child into this world now feels more like a selfish decision than a dream.

“I’ve always wanted a family, but it now feels selfish to bring someone into a system that feels so fundamentally broken. How would I provide them the same opportunities my parents had? How would I explain to them the decisions made by the boomers that led us here?” he asked.

“We clearly have enough resources, enough knowledge, enough capacity to care for everyone—so why does it feel like only the wealthiest benefit, while the rest of us are stretched thin just trying to stay afloat? So yeah, in short, we’re cooked,” he added.

“There has never been job security. It’s always been a myth.”​

In the comments section, one Singaporean Redditor said, “The traditional path sold to you by education and society does not work when non-traditional macro events are influencing the way we live. My advice is to start thinking unconventionally and come out of the box to do something different from the masses.”

 

[k1976]

374,000 Singaporeans earn S$10,000 per month or more. Here’s who they are and what they do.​

Michael Petraeus
2 days ago

Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author. All data comes from the Singapore Ministry of Manpower.

We all know the median income figures for the Singaporean population, but, like every average figure, it’s a bit meaningless for most, because it includes a broad range of people, including the elderly, the young, and those just entering the workforce or those leaving it.

Hence, let’s focus on figures that most Singaporeans would consider aspirational—a professional target in life that’s not obscenely high, but high enough that most could realistically dream of achieving them.

Like a nice, round S$10,000 per month (excluding employer’s CPF).

Nearly one in four Singaporeans makes six figures per year​

Around 24% of full-time employed residents take home around S$100,000 per year. And close to one in five (18%) make S$120,000—or S$10,000 per month.

This amounts to 373,700 people, to be exact, out of the 2.067 million residents working at least 35 hours per week.

Who are they? Where do they work? How educated are they? Does entrepreneurship pay more than employment?

Let’s take a look, starting with the basics: occupation. Which industry pays the best?

 

[k1976]

Unsurprisingly, financial services top the table, making up 23% of those earning over S$10,000 per month—but what’s even more impressive is that nearly 40% of all workers in finance make that much.

It’s nearly a 10 percentage point lead over the second most generous industry, which is IT & Communications. While relatively fewer people work in it, nearly 30% take home S$120,000+ per year.

It’s followed by Professional Services, when that ratio drops to one in four.


Public administration’s performance is notable too, with nearly one in five employees in this high-income bracket. The government pays its people well.

Breakdown by age​

What about the age of these relatively high earners? Well, as expected, they reach their financial peak in their 40s, with earnings gradually going down as they approach retirement.

What’s interesting, however, is that there are over 6,000 fresh graduates in their late 20s, who have started their careers with a good six-figure pay.

 

[k1976]

Breakdown by education​

As I reported last month, education pays in Singapore, with the median salary for degree holders hitting S$8,650 in 2024. And you can see this among the highest-paid full-time workers as well.

Nearly 325,000, or 87%, hold a degree, and 9% have a diploma or other professional qualifications. But there’s hope for everyone, as there are thousands of high earners without advanced education as well.

 

[True Believer]

Look at the PAP's report card:

1. Increasing number of retrenchments for S'porean citizens
2. 95% of jobs created in 2023 and 89% in 2022 went to foreigners
3. 93% of respondents in the Edelman survey are afraid of job loss
4. S'pore is most expensive city for 9 out of the past 11 years