‘How to stay hungry?’: – Singaporeans ask as analysts say fresh grads may need to temper salary expectations

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans online are questioning how they can possibly stay “hungry” in the job market after analysts urged fresh graduates to temper their salary expectations amid a more uncertain economic outlook.

The debate comes against the backdrop of a recent Ministry of Manpower (MOM) School-to-Work Transition Study, which found that graduates across most disciplines are earning less than they expected when they first entered the workforce. The findings have reignited concerns over wages, rising living costs, and the challenges facing younger Singaporeans navigating an increasingly competitive labour market.

Conducted in 2025, the survey polled about 2,500 Singapore resident graduates aged between 22 and 28 who held at least a bachelor’s degree. It examined employment outcomes and early career experiences, including salary expectations, to better understand how graduates transition from education into work.

One of the study’s most notable findings was that low pay was the most common reason graduates rejected job offers, with 30.6% of respondents citing salary concerns. Another 26.7% said they were holding out for a better offer.

Other reasons for declining jobs included a lack of interest in the role, unsuitable workplace environments, and limited opportunities for career progression.

The survey also revealed significant gaps between what graduates expected to earn and what they were actually paid.

Information technology graduates reported a median monthly salary of S$5,150, compared with an expected S$6,000. Engineering sciences graduates earned a median of S$4,450 against expectations of S$5,000.

The gap was similarly pronounced among business and administration graduates, whose median salary was S$4,000 despite expecting S$5,000. Natural and mathematical sciences graduates earned a median of S$3,700, compared with an anticipated S$5,000.

Only graduates in law, education, as well as fine and applied arts reported earnings that met or exceeded their expectations.

An MOM spokesperson said the salary expectation figures were collected directly from respondents and presented alongside actual median salaries to provide context on how expectations compare with outcomes across different fields of study.

Analysts speaking to CNA said the findings reflect the priorities and concerns of younger job seekers, particularly as employers become more cautious amid global economic uncertainty.

Professor Lawrence Loh of the NUS Business School said he expects the gap between expected and actual salaries to narrow in the coming years, not because wages are necessarily rising faster, but because graduates are likely to become more realistic about what employers are offering.

“(Now), even getting a job is difficult, particularly with the broader uncertainty in the global economy and with … artificial intelligence,” he said.

“I think our graduates have no choice but to be more realistic and have their expectations match what is actually being offered in reality.”

While MOM expects wages to continue growing this year, it has also warned that employers are likely to be more conservative with salary increments due to inflationary pressures and global uncertainty.

Latest MOM figures released on May 28 showed that nominal wages of full-time resident employees grew at a slower pace in 2025 than in the previous year.

Recruitment experts cautioned that unrealistic salary expectations could prolong job searches and create frustrations for both candidates and employers.

Mr Anurag Garg, country lead at recruitment firm Michael Page Singapore, said job seekers who hold out for salaries that significantly exceed market rates risk missing opportunities altogether.

“On the candidate’s side, they may feel a little bit more frustrated because the job search is longer, they may risk missing out on an opportunity if their expectations are unrealistic. They may not get a second chance at this opportunity,” he told CNA.

He added that employers could also face challenges, including higher rejection rates and longer hiring timelines as they compete for top talent.

Mr Garg further warned that persistent mismatches between expectations and available opportunities could contribute to underemployment, where workers accept jobs that do not fully utilise their skills and qualifications.

“This is slightly concerning because it signals a structural expectation gap and not something which is temporary. Employers may feel (they) are quite competitive … but candidates clearly don’t agree. So, this may lead to longer job searches,” he said, “It may lead to misunderstanding between the employer and the candidate, and also talent misallocation.”

The findings have sparked strong reactions online, with many Singaporeans arguing that salary expectations cannot be discussed in isolation from the rising cost of living.

Several commenters mocked the suggestion that graduates simply need to lower their expectations.

One netizen sarcastically wrote: “In order to make you hungry, we are cutting your food rations, and you need to adjust your expectations.”

Another remarked, “So it’s somehow our fault for having expectations that this society threw to us. So much for being ‘hungrier’ while paying us lower salaries, while the cost of living inflates much faster than everything else.”

Others pointed to the increasing costs of everyday necessities.

“I’m okay with adjusting salary expectations. But u compare bak chor mee price today vs 10 years ago, how can dont expect more salary,” one commenter wrote.

Another added: “At the same time, enjoy shrinkflation and subscription fees y’all beeches.”

The discussion also took on a political tone, with some netizens drawing comparisons to public office holders’ pay.

“Maybe one day the headline would be ‘Ministers need to adjust salary expectations amid economic uncertainty’,” one commenter quipped.

Another similarly asked, “Did ministers lower expectations of pay adjustments ah? Never update leh.”

Others expressed sympathy for younger Singaporeans entering the workforce.

“I’m glad I was born much earlier. I do not envy the younger generation for they have a tough future ahead,” one commenter wrote.

Another took the argument to its logical extreme, saying: “Yay this will make me hungrier. When I can no longer afford to pay my bills, for food, I will just have to skip a few meals here and there and starve. Thank you to the government for helping me with being hungry.”

Some argued that graduates were simply following the advice they had been given throughout their lives.

“Imagine being told your entire life by the people around you that you need to study hard to earn more money and you do it but then those same people tell you to ‘adjust your salary expectations’,” one netizen observed.

The online reaction was also shaped by a separate controversy over comments made recently by recruiter Shulin Lee on a CNA podcast.

Ms Lee had warned that some employers were increasingly turning to workers from countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, whom she described as being “hungrier” than their Singaporean counterparts.

Drawing on her experience as a recruiter, she argued that the issue was often not skills but a willingness to go the extra mile and adapt to changing workplace demands.

“That hunger is now irreplaceable,” she said, while encouraging workers to remain “paranoid” about shifts in the labour market and to continuously improve their communication and relationship-building skills.

Her remarks quickly triggered debate online. While some agreed that she was describing realities faced by employers in a competitive labour market, others criticised the use of the term “hungry”, arguing that it overlooked broader structural challenges such as wage stagnation, housing costs and the increasing financial pressures faced by younger workers.

Against that backdrop, analysts’ calls for graduates to moderate their salary expectations have only intensified the conversation, with many Singaporeans asking whether workers should simply accept lower starting pay or whether wages need to better reflect the economic realities confronting a new generation entering the workforce.