SINGAPORE: On Monday (Jan 20), a Nanyang Technological University (NTU) graduate vented on social media about how difficult it is to land a job nowadays.
Posting anonymously on Reddit’s NTU forum, he discussed how drastically employers’ expectations have changed, making it nearly impossible for fresh graduates to meet them.
“[The] job market is so bad right now, it’s scary. Most jobs now require a master’s, coding skills, or three years’ experience. Sometimes both or all. Irrespective of major,” he wrote.
“I’ve been applying here and there for work recently but have had no responses, not even on the portals. Dunno if my resume is boring or not curious enough,” he said.
He then explained why he believes the job market has been gradually declining since the pandemic and why he thinks 2025 will be the most challenging year yet.
First, he noted that even mid-career professionals with solid experience find it difficult to secure jobs despite sending over 100 applications and attending numerous interviews.
Second, he mentioned that more companies are now using AI to scan resumes, so there’s a good chance that real people aren’t even looking at applications, as algorithms handle the initial selection process.
Third, he observed that career fairs no longer offer the same opportunities they once did.
“Sometimes the HR at their stalls are either mean and only there for the sake of it or don’t even respond to questions,” he said. “Resumes aren’t taken when they’re interested and are simply redirected to apply online, where they may never get looked at due to reasons mentioned [above].”
Finally, he pointed out that job portals haven’t been much help, as applicants are often just “ghosted.”
“NTU job portals essentially don’t help, aside from, I guess, hearing about new companies you didn’t know of. They don’t care about helping connect, aside from InPlace, which does not apply to us. NTU has all these connections and career fairs… for what, then? (Yes, I know internships, yes, okay. Still.),” he said.
“It’s hard right now, y’all. I had to vent. Older friends say it gets easier, but over the years, it seems to have been the worst since mid-2024,” he continued.
“It has always been hard. You didn’t know how bad it was 5 years ago.”
The post sparked a wave of similar sentiments from other NTU graduates struggling to find work.
One individual said, “I feel you and have been experiencing the same thing as you. Thanks to all the wannabes who jump onto the tech bandwagon due to the perceived ‘high salary’, we are in this situation today.”
Another added, “It has always been challenging. Five years ago, you didn’t know how bad it was when the COVID batch graduated and had to take up an SG United traineeship.
One year of intern pay with no promise of conversion. It set them back a year. What’s worse was that graduates had to compete with those who had completed the traineeship and were looking for full-time jobs the following year. It was two entire batch of graduates vying for an entry job.”
Some also suggested that the NTU grad apply for non-tech jobs. One individual said, “Tech is evil now, so please try to apply to non-tech roles and don’t be picky (assuming you have a tech degree).”
Another said, “You can try to join a construction company as a ‘project engineer’, suffer for a few years or until the job market improves, find a new job, and then leave.”
Despite the grim outlook shared by many jobseekers, there’s some good news on the horizon. According to a recent report by RHB, Singapore’s labour market is expected to thrive in 2025, especially in the manufacturing and services sectors.
The report highlights a positive trend in the third quarter of 2024: employment rose by 24,100 positions, and the unemployment rate dipped to 1.8%, one of the lowest in the country’s history.
Read more: Singapore’s job market thrives – Will 2025 see soaring wages or economic headwinds?