Employee asks, “Is it bad to leave job after 9 months only?”

SINGAPORE: Concerned about the potential drawbacks of changing jobs within a year, a Singaporean employee took to social media to seek advice on this career move.

“Moving on to a new job overseas after 9 months only in my current job locally. Is it frowned upon and will I be seen as a job hopper?” he wrote on r/askSingapore on Monday (March 11).

In the comments section, one individual shared that he did this too, writing, “I left one after 8 months. Sinking ship. Whenever I was asked, and I was asked rather often, I’d say, “It’s a contract job for 1 year, and I commissioned the system early.”

Another also shared, “Hey there, I am planning to throw letter to my company tomorrow, and I have been here <1 year, same for my existing companies. If a company wants you, you will get a job. Is job hopping a red flag?

Yes. But just because you have one red flag, doesn’t mean you will get 0 interviews and offers.”

Meanwhile, others were confused about the man’s post and asked him why he fretted about ‘what employers would think’ if he already had another job lined up.

Also, some pointed out that to be classified as a ‘job hopper,’ one would need to switch jobs within a short period of time three consecutive times. 

Given that this was his first time, he wouldn’t be labeled as such, thus he had no reason to be concerned.

Another individual added, “You’re likely to live to 80-90 years of age, and probably you’d retire from full time hard slogging work at 65-70. Assuming you’re in your 20s, that’s about 40 years of work life. 

It sounds long but if a job is a bad fit, you’re wasting 1/40 (more or less) of your productive adult life on a job you don’t like. So nope, leave the job if it isn’t a good fit.

If an interviewer in the future were to ask you about it and penalise you for it, then they can shove it as well.”

Job Hopping

Recently, many people have opened up about wanting to quit their jobs on social media, painting a picture that maybe Singaporeans are joining in on the trend of job hopping.

However, recent statistics show that Singaporeans aren’t switching jobs as often as one might think.

A recent report from The Straits Times revealed that only about 14.7% of Singaporean workers switched jobs in the last two years, a lower percentage than in previous years due to the competitive job market.

This decrease in job changes was observed across white and blue-collar positions, spanning all age groups and industries.

Interestingly, the report also highlighted that individuals aged 25 to 29, who are typically still exploring career options, continued to change employers most frequently.

Read also: Jobless S’porean sends out 50+ job applications but receives only 2 calls, asks if job market “really bad right now?”

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