SINGAPORE: “Probably the lousiest job posting I’ve ever seen.” This was how a Singaporean described a job advertisement for a marketing associate position in an online forum on Wednesday (Feb 19). According to the writer, the job offered a “competitive” salary of S$1,500 to S$3,000 a month but required three years of experience and a degree.
According to the post, while casually scrolling through LinkedIn, the writer saw the job posting, which he took as a “[reflection of] the sorry state of the market today.” He then shared his two cents on the S$1,500 to S$3,000 salary range, saying, “Now, the upper end of that range is really not that bad. S$3,000 a month is below average but not unheard of. But here’s the catch: they ask for a minimum of three years of experience and a degree, and even then, you are certainly not guaranteed S$3,000 a month. S$2800 a month for someone with three years of experience and a degree is not just a lowball, the ball is on the floor.”
The writer went on to add, “They offer flexible working conditions— ‘good for single parents, women, minorities’ aka ‘if you are desperate enough for our low paying job, this is the place for you’. As a minority, there is no way I would ever work for this pay, and hopefully, others feel the same. I was shocked to realise that this posting comes from an MNC (albeit not a very good one). I was also disappointed to notice that this posting still got 10 applications in one hour according to LinkedIn, which means that there are Singaporeans out there who undervalue themselves that much. I think this reflects the audacity of some employers in Singapore these days, who demand the moon and stars from candidates, but offer an absolute pittance in return and still dare to call it a ‘competitive’ salary.”
In response to the post, a handful of commenters added their insights on the job market in Singapore. “It’s not the company’s fault,” said one. “That is the market rate for ‘digital marketing’.” Another shared, “Key word is ‘digital marketing.’ If you choose an industry/degree that is easy and the market doesn’t pay as much. Who is to blame?”
Still, one pointed out that the job applications reflected on the platform might not have been all from Singaporean applicants.
Another shared a past similar experience. “It’s quite normal – I saw this type of thing before,” the comment read. “In the discussion, I thought it was a role for a Digital Marketing Executive, $2.8k and up (I know it’s not high but it’s like at par for the course of the industry and role), and then when I asked for the JD it was like some $1k Digital Marketing assistant type thing. And it was some Westie job while I lived in NE Singapore. S$2800 for three years experience is digital marketing being digital marketing lor, but to mandate or require a degree for it is [laughable]. But yeah, that kind of requirement is like that one for the sector.”
According to a report by global talent services company Morgan Mckinley, people who work full-time in Singapore earn S$5,783 a month on average, which equates to S$69,396 a year.
See also: Man who worked in tech sales for over 10 years has been jobless for five months