Rising trend of young graduates staying unemployed
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SINGAPORE : More young graduates are staying unemployed.
According to the Manpower Ministry, about 9,000 degree holders under 30 were not working this June.
This is about 20 percent more - compared to two years ago.
And while it could partly be due to the economic situation, more young people are actually choosing not to work in the short term.
Cherie Lee, 22, loves spending time pursuing her hobby.
She graduated with a Life Sciences degree five months ago but still hasn't found work.
"The younger generation is more relaxed...we don't feel the hurry to get the job straightaway, of course, it will be very nice to have a job...but if I really cannot get one, it is not going to affect me, it is not the end of everything," she said.
And why not? She is living with her parents who cook and clean for her, and give her a $300 allowance each month.
Cherie said: "Usually I will wake up at 2 something...sometimes I read, sometimes I watch TV, sometimes I draw at home, play games, the usual."
Emily Tay, Cherie's mother, said: "Nowadays, parents really take care of the children well so they feel like they have everything, so they are not so worried about jobs, it is we parents that are more stressed...I'm spoiling her in a way so if she is what she's now I feel that I'm partly to be blamed."
Cherie said she had already done all she could.
She is doing some part-time work and is thinking of pursing a Masters degree.
"I am sending out resumes, I am going for interviews so if I don't get one it's not my fault so I don't think I should answer to them just because they're my relatives," she said.
And Cherie is not alone.
The National University of Singapore said the number of graduates who did not find jobs within six months after graduation has risen to over 7 percent.
Unemployed graduates from the Nanyang Technological University has also increased to 10.9 percent of the cohort.
Many blame the job market but is it just a simple matter of bad prospects or are Singaporean youths these days becoming more choosy about their jobs and their pay packets? Or is it just a sign of changing times?
Associate Professor Ho Kong Chong, Sociology Department at NUS, said: "The immediate pressure, economic pressure from parents to go look for a job...is much less.
"For today, like I said, the opportunities are more diverse, more plentiful so young people are more willing to experiment with different opportunities not necessarily related to work."
Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure - some parents are going to have to get used to supporting junior for longer. - CNA
Thought UER is 3.4%??? -
Coz they decided to leave the country, find education outside, get a job, get a fatter paycheck, and tt the money back to folks in singapore.
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For what??? Certain degree like from Aust is lower than a diploma in Singapore as like for film...Originally posted by ditzy:Coz they decided to leave the country, find education outside, get a job, get a fatter paycheck, and tt the money back to folks in singapore. -
Then you ask yourself again, how many people actually go to places like Aust to study film?Originally posted by sbst275:For what??? Certain degree like from Aust is lower than a diploma in Singapore as like for film... -
Iveco, went to Aust for a similar - Mass CommOriginally posted by ditzy:Then you ask yourself again, how many people actually go to places like Aust to study film? -
Ok, then that makes one, anymore?Originally posted by sbst275:Iveco, went to Aust for a similar - Mass Comm -
Actually, this was a talk of it in a recent Today newspaper article 2 wks back...Originally posted by ditzy:Ok, then that makes one, anymore? -
Find it, and type the whole damn thing out even if you have to.Originally posted by sbst275:Actually, this was a talk of it in a recent Today newspaper article 2 wks back... -
Archive liao... And this is a indv respnse as this is a commentary..Originally posted by ditzy:Find it, and type the whole damn thing out even if you have to. -
Chey!Originally posted by sbst275:Archive liao... And this is a indv respnse as this is a commentary.. -
Written by a educationalistOriginally posted by ditzy:Chey! -
3 more weeks and I'll be joining them... sian~
I can't find a job! -
Anyway, Singapore Tonight 10pm on CNA will be looking at this issue...
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Coz companies are looking for experience. Then the thing is, if you don't work or find employment, how you gonna gain experience to begin with, when no one wants to employ you when you have no experience.
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Actually job prospects for Poly and ITE are better as they have skills and job attachment during their courseOriginally posted by ditzy:Coz companies are looking for experience. Then the thing is, if you don't work or find employment, how you gonna gain experience to begin with, when no one wants to employ you when you have no experience. -
Then uni undergrads don't have lah? Polys give you how many weeks worth of industral experience? I say 12 weeks. Uni? Give you another 12 weeks. How many years experience do companies look for? I see minimum 2 years or 3-5years tops.Originally posted by sbst275:Actually job prospects for Poly and ITE are better as they have skills and job attachment during their course -
At least some will do... A 'virgin in experience' is unwanted nowadays... Actually, in the 1980's when I was younger, I had already knew that by 1 time, skills is more important that qualification... As poly get lesser pay yet more job experienceOriginally posted by ditzy:Then uni undergrads don't have lah? Polys give you how many weeks worth of industral experience? I say 12 weeks. Uni? Give you another 12 weeks. How many years experience do companies look for? I see minimum 2 years or 3-5years tops. -
Originally posted by ditzy:Then uni undergrads don't have lah? Polys give you how many weeks worth of industral experience? I say 12 weeks. Uni? Give you another 12 weeks. How many years experience do companies look for? I see minimum 2 years or 3-5years tops.
Normally it's slightly less than that of what they publish in the job ads.
But it's still quite high. -
I think the context for comparing Uni grads, Poly grads and ITE grads are different. They have different expectations of salary. Cannot compare... Higher expectations, harder to get a job.
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This one sounds like got attitude problem. If she is not taking any $$ from parents, I got nothing to say.Originally posted by sbst275:And why not? She is living with her parents who cook and clean for her, and give her a $300 allowance each month.
Cherie said: "Usually I will wake up at 2 something...sometimes I read, sometimes I watch TV, sometimes I draw at home, play games, the usual."
Emily Tay, Cherie's mother, said: "Nowadays, parents really take care of the children well so they feel like they have everything, so they are not so worried about jobs, it is we parents that are more stressed...I'm spoiling her in a way so if she is what she's now I feel that I'm partly to be blamed."
Cherie said she had already done all she could.
She is doing some part-time work and is thinking of pursing a Masters degree.
"I am sending out resumes, I am going for interviews so if I don't get one it's not my fault so I don't think I should answer to them just because they're my relatives," she said.
But when one is fully capable of working and still taking $$ from parent, I really Kan Bu Qi them liao. I don't believe in not being able to get a single job at all. There are always the less desirable job. Or if really cannot find a job, at least cut down spending so that you do not become a burden to others. -
Not just expectantion... Experience also matters...Originally posted by EricDraven:I think the context for comparing Uni grads, Poly grads and ITE grads are different. They have different expectations of salary. Cannot compare... Higher expectations, harder to get a job.
Times have changed, employers are willing to employ a poly with skills than to a uni w/o skills -
So you get an engineering degree and 12 weeks worth of industrial experience, decide to switch over and get a business degree, do another 12 weeks worth of industrial experience related to your degree. Graduated, how much experience you've gained to help you secure your new career? I tell you its not something you want to even put in your curriculum vitae.Originally posted by sbst275:At least some will do... A 'virgin in experience' is unwanted nowadays... -
I can only say that uni and poly learn in 2 dif waysOriginally posted by ditzy:So you get an engineering degree and 12 weeks worth of industrial experience, decide to switch over and get a business degree, do another 12 weeks worth of industrial experience related to your degree. Graduated, how much experience you've gained to help you secure your new career? I tell you its not something you want to even put in your curriculum vitae.
Uni - More Academic based
Poly - More skills and experience based -
Poly grad gets poly pay. Uni grad expects Uni pay.
Payscale is different. How can you compare?
It's like saying a bricklayer has better job prospects than an accountant. -
Of course pay dif... But poly ppl happy if they can get a job already as times is so badOriginally posted by EricDraven:Poly grad gets poly pay. Uni grad expects Uni pay.
Payscale is different. How can you compare?
It's like saying a bricklayer has better job prospects than an accountant.