‘12-hour shift work for S$3K/month + 4 hours OT, should I take it?’ — SG jobseeker asks after being offered ‘work 3 days, rest 4 days’ role

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean jobseeker in his late 20s has sparked a lively debate online after sharing that he had been offered a role at a semiconductor company with a gruelling 12-hour shift schedule. Posting on r/askSingapore, he wrote:

“The only ‘problem’ is that it will be a 12-hour shift. They told me it will be work 3 days, rest 4 days, work 4 days, rest 3 days, 12-hour shift. Every month, they will shift from morning to night shift.”

12 hour shift work, should I take it ?
byu/SignalAdagio3221 inaskSingapore

The role, a Production Engineer position, comes with a basic pay of around S$3,000/month. The Singaporean, who holds a diploma, added that travel time would be manageable — “about 1 hour by bus and 20 mins by car.” But with “no social life,” he admitted he wasn’t sure whether the long-term toll of such a schedule was sustainable.

Shift life: Pros and cons

Redditors, many of whom have worked similar patterns, weighed in with brutally honest feedback.

One commenter, who also clocks 12-hour shifts, said the arrangement had its advantages:

• “More off days to do my own stuff.”
• “Less money spent on commuting and food expenses since I can eat at home.”
• “The pay is good for me.”

But the downsides were equally glaring:

• “It can be physically tiring to switch between day and night shift.”
• “A bit disruptive to social life since I am working at times and cannot join my friends.”
• “On one of my off days, I usually just sleep to catch up on my lost sleep.”

Another worker in the logistics sector warned:

“I’m working a 12-hour shift. It’s way too draining and not worth it. Planning on leaving soon to find a regular office hours job. I feel like I barely have any free time to myself, and my off days are spent catching up on sleep. My body clock is damn screwed up.”

Others added practical advice, suggesting blackout curtains and earplugs to improve rest, or at least trying the job for a year before making a decision. “It won’t hurt for you to try for a year,” one said.

“That pay feels a bit low for ‘engineer grade’…”

Some questioned the pay scale itself. “That pay feels a bit low for ‘engineer grade,’ but to be fair, titles and grades vary a lot across companies,” one Redditor pointed out.

Another added that while production engineers may not spend as much time inside cleanrooms compared to operations engineers, the real key to survival was maintaining a solid sleep routine. “That’s what keeps you sane and functional in the long run,” the commenter explained.

“What I think is a lousy job may be a gem to you…”

The discussion reflects the larger reality of Singapore’s semiconductor and manufacturing sector, where 12-hour shifts are common. For some, the trade-offs — more days off, less time in traffic, weekday leisure perks — make the grind worthwhile. For others, the impact on health and social life is simply unsustainable.

As one commenter summed it up: “What I think is a lousy job may be a gem to you. Vice versa.”

For the jobseeker weighing his options, the message from the online community was clear: Know your limits, protect your health, and remember that no amount of rest days can be sufficient if you don’t get proper daily rest and sufficient sleep.

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