29-year-old SMU accountancy student jobless for 2 years and feeling hopeless

By: Ivan

I am a graduate of SMU, and have trouble finding a job for 2 years.

I am wondering if there are any opportunities here because I have been looking on craigslist, indeed, jobsdb, regionUP, all for jobs but I suspect most of them are fake or just recruiters trying to collect resumes for the companies which are not even hiring.

I have a Bachelor’s in Accountancy and Finance from SMU.

At 29 years of age, I don’t see much opportunities in the PMET sector especially for males.

I don’t know why. But I think employers generally prefer females in the accountancy sector because they will not shout out as loud as males, and are generally perceived as more meticulous than men.

I am deeply worried that my 2 years of unemployment gap will affect my future career (if it even exists now).

Right now, I am feeling that local government do not support unemployed workers, and just cover it up with the news saying that unemployment is low. Truth is many people are underemployed.

I tried approaching friends and family, but none of them have opportunities for me. Instead they keep telling me supposedly helpful advice like “have you tried this… or that” etc.

Almost implying that it’s my fault that I did not hang on to my previous job.

Also, I don’t have much faith in the governmental national job bank. Seems to be touch and go in this pro-business government.

Globally, I do sense restructuring trend affecting many young people like me, especially in Spain, Greece and other cities. In some cities like NY or London, people at my age are being paid peanuts or working for free as interns, just to get a foot into the door of corporations.

In fact, one may argue that Singapore has real jobs but only as casino croupiers and waiters.

That is not a career many want, yet they do it just to get by. This is highly unhealthy for the economy to keep ‘pushing down’ the burden to the young. Singaporeans are smart and good, why should they be ‘cheap’ and devalued by our own government?

If businesses are so powerful already, why is the government not empowering the people to balance this?

Why is the employment market ‘rosy’ in Singapore when there are so many people complaining on your website?

I feel the government has failed us all. Especially my generation who graduated in the post-recession.

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Republished from Transitioning.org.