Jobseeker willing to take 30% pay cut, but says company still hesitant to hire him

SINGAPORE: A jobseeker took to social media to share that one company is still hesitant to hire him, even though he’s willing to accept a significant pay cut of nearly 30%.

In a post on the r/askSingapore forum, he explained that the company was reluctant to hire him due to his higher previous salary, and they were worried he might treat the role as a “temporary” position and quit as soon as a more lucrative job opportunity came along.

He continued, “I understand the concern, but do I stop sharing my last drawn salary? Most of the employers I talk to require me to share my last draw, though. Is taking a pay cut a red flag? How much of a pay cut should still be reasonable for employers to hire a candidate if they knew that the candidate would be taking a pay cut if they accepted the role?”

He also mentioned that he’s been job hunting for the past five months, applying for both higher- and lower-paying roles, yet still hasn’t secured any offers.

“They are low-balling you.”

In the discussion thread, many Singaporean Redditors pointed out that the real red flag in this situation wasn’t the job seeker, but the company, as they seemed to be attempting to underpay him.

One commented, “They are trying to underpay you; 30% is too high; 2-8% is an acceptable range unless you earn S$10,000+.

Another wrote, “30% cut? Walk off, my friend. The max I’ll go is 10%, and ONLY if there is an opportunity to grow. They are low-balling you. Is this a local company you’re talking about? I won’t be surprised if it is.”

A third said, “Personally, I wouldn’t take it. It would take many years of 2 to 3% increments to recover that 30%, and by then it would also be eroded by inflation.”

A fourth shared, “I was interviewed for a job, and the HR told me I was over their budget, and she asked for my current pay and knew it would be a 20% pay cut. HR asked if I would be willing to accept the job, and that’s the max they can give. I rejected.”

In other news, a 27-year-old worker shared on social media that she felt “embarrassed and angry” after being publicly called out in a team meeting for supposedly “not being a team player”.

She later discovered that the remark was made because she did not volunteer to take on her older colleagues’ unfinished workload after completing her own.

Read more: ‘Not a team player’: Gen Z worker slammed for not volunteering to do older colleagues’ work

Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)