SINGAPORE: In a local forum, a netizen had a hot take regarding the number of people applying for a job, saying that the 725 applicants competing for a corporate role was worse than a BTO application.
On Tuesday morning (Dec 10), an anonymous poster on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page posted a screenshot from the popular employment search website Jobstreet.
It said that a person’s application for the position of Procurement Executive had been viewed by Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and that the applicant may or may not hear back from the company.
The position pays a salary between S$3,000 to S$4,500 per month. It also says that there were already 725 applicants for the job.
But of course, the post author’s comparison was somewhat of an exaggeration, as the BTO application rates have improved in the past few years, and the supply of new homes has improved.
Nevertheless, June this year saw a record-high BTO application rate of 3.1, with 21,827 applicants vying for the 6,938 available flats. Nevertheless, commenters on the post agreed that the job search scene in Singapore at the moment is challenging.
“It’s never easy finding the right job these days. If companies are willing to give you a tryout, you’re considered lucky already,” one commenter observed.
One woman wrote that she’s been searching for employment for half a year and added, “It so tiring.” Another wrote, “Winning 4D has better chances than getting that job.”
A netizen encouraged the post author to apply for work overseas, citing Singapore’s small size and limited number of jobs. One commenter, however, said that he has seen job postings with as many as 1,000 applicants vying for one position.
Another pointed out that since 2024 is about to come to a close, it’s not the best time to apply for a new job. One man expressed surprise that a relatively low-paying job would have so many applicants. /TISG