DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam expressed his concerns about youngsters these days not staying for a long time on the job and being “less hungry” Compared to 20 years ago.
I do not speak for all of those who are in my Generation but if you don’t mind, I hope to share my two cents worth as a 25 year old with less than 2 years of experience in the working world.
1. Why do those who are early in their careers ‘not stay long on the job’?
Young adults make a lot more by changing jobs. Studies have shown that those who do not switch roles every 2-3 years earn 50% less than those who do. I just switched roles after working in the same company for 1 year 8 months. I did so because I calculated that if I did not switch jobs last month, it will take around 15 years to achieve the salary that I am getting at this new job.
Also, depending on the sector, some employers are starting to look upon those who stay in the same job for several years as “lazy” and “being too comfortable”. I had a colleague who stayed in one company for 5 years and when she decided to look for a new job, she realized that many employers no longer perceived it as a positive trait – ‘loyalty’ but a sign of someone who doesn’t want to step out of his/her comfort zone.
2. Why is there “less hunger” compared to “20 years ago, and of course compared to 40 or 50 years ago”?
Less hungry? I don’t imagine it to be so. Many of us would have accumulate 2-5 internships before we graduated and also did several other things to ‘build our resume’. Did the older generation have to do that in order to get an edge in the job market? Not really. All they needed to start was a certificate.
Then again, it depends on what you mean by hunger. From what I know many bosses consider an employee staying overtime as “hunger”. That isn’t. The younger generation values productivity and worklife balance. Isn’t it only normal that each generation has new desires that help improve working conditions for the next? If that wasn’t the case, it is likely we will be stuck in the state of labour during the early years of the industrial revolution and most of us will only be working in non-aircon offices.
If the definition of ‘hunger’ means things like learning new skills, then I believe that many Singaporeans do possess hunger in that sense. Whenever I attend networking sessions, industry talks and new courses, I always meet other young ambitious adults. Or perhaps, I might be wrong as it could also be the case of “I like attending such events so I only meet young adults who share the same interests as me”
Finally, I would like to thank the DPM for reminding local businesses to change with the times and deal with this: “We must also develop a less hierarchical culture – one that empowers every individual, and helps them to see how their ideas, their experiments and their efforts to do the job well contribute to the whole enterprise.”
A 25 year-old Gen. Y.
