Singaporeans discuss which careers offer lowest pay in Singapore

SINGAPORE: “Which industry has the lowest pay and progression in Singapore?” asked u/Im_scrub on r/askSingapore on Monday (Apr 24).

The Reddit user specifically asked for white-collar jobs with the lowest pay and suggested that it’s a career in biology, where “progression is really hard capped by academic qualifications, in turn, it affects the amount of pay even at senior/experienced levels.”

Commenters on the post weighed in, writing what they felt were jobs with the least pay and possibility for progression.

One much-upvoted comment read, “Creative industry.”

Many Reddit users agreed with this, with one saying that new graduates only earn $2,000 a month, adding, “In the creative industry, it’s impossible for you to go to school, graduate and expect to earn an average salary. You have to put in the work to learn extra skills. It’s not enough to be a graphic designer, you have to know a bit of video, photography, animation etc.”

However, another disagreed, writing, “Even this is not enough to be honest…It’s not enough to be a skilled artist, you need to sell it better than the next guy over and be efficient about it.”

Several Reddit users believe that architecture is the worst-paid industry.

“Definitely archi. My school did an alumni sharing session for archi undergrads to improve morale and encourage them to stay in the industry after grad. The whole thing backfired when alumni themsleves told them not to join the industry,” wrote one netizen.

“Architecture. 4 years of working experience fetched $2500. Every year increment is $150. Not eligible for OT pay. My friend spent 200 hrs OT in a month. Working everyday until 10 pm. including Saturday, Sunday,” a Reddit user agreed.

“Commercial interior designer here. Spent 5 years in design school. Graduated in 2015. Starting salary $2400, current salary $3000, 70-85 hour work weeks, no bonus,” another chimed in.

Part of the problem, another pointed out, is that graduates from other countries agree to lower pay.

“It’s academia,” a Reddit user wrote.

/TISG

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