‘Not hungry enough’ and asking for too much? Singaporeans question mixed messages to workers

SINGAPORE: Singaporean workers appear to be feeling growing pressure in the job market after analysts said fresh graduates may need to taper their salary expectations.

Just last month, Aslant Legal founder and recruiter Shulin Lee also said that Singapore workers are not “hungrier” than foreign workers, as she explained why companies she’s working with are letting go of Singaporeans and hiring talent from neighbouring Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines instead.

With these comments, a netizen questioned, “You’re not hungry enough, but you also should not ask for more. Which one is it?”

Online comments surfaced after a June 1 Channel News Asia (CNA) report titled “Fresh grads in Singapore may need to taper salary expectations amid uncertainty: Analysts”, which cited a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) survey of residents aged 22 to 28 who said they were earning less than they had anticipated.

The report also highlighted that a third of university graduates rejected job offers due to low pay. Analysts explained that this was because graduates believe a higher starting salary provides a buffer in case of slow salary increments and its influence on their future earnings.

However, they warned that, with companies becoming more cautious on pay increases amid global uncertainty and inflation risks, unrealistic salary expectations may lead graduates to miss out on opportunities and prolong their job search.

Commenters did not hold back from reacting online. One user quipped, “Funny how we need to keep accepting lower and lower wages despite productivity improving and inflation increasing”, while another said, “Funny how analysts never ask businesses to taper their expectations of consumer spending power and lower prices.”

Questions about Singapore being “pro-business, not pro-workers” also surfaced.

A third, meanwhile, rattled off what Singaporeans were being asked to do: raise the city-state’s fertility rate, fund their parents’ allowance, upskill to be ready for an AI-ready economy, support local businesses, and more.

A fourth remarked that the “winners” are those who inherited properties from their grandparents or parents, as “[they] don’t have to do much”. /TISG

Read also: ‘It’s a prediction problem’: Recruiter’s comment on Singaporean workers not being ‘hungrier’ than foreign workers gets more backlash