SINGAPORE: Loyalty used to be the name of the game when it came to building a career, but more and more Singaporeans are saying that job-hopping is where the real money is.
On Reddit, many have shared that their biggest salary jumps didn’t come from annual increments or long years of service. According to their experience, the real boost happened when they packed up and moved on to a new company.
The whole discussion started when a user asked on the r/CareersSingapore forum: “Does job hopping really help you earn more in Singapore? I keep hearing that switching jobs every two to three years is the best way to get significant pay raises. For those who’ve done it, did it actually work out, or did it hurt your career progression in the long run?”
Under the post, one individual revealed that in just four years, he went through three jobs and saw his salary climb from “S$2,500 to S$4,500.” Another said that between 2015 and 2024, he switched jobs four times and watched his pay grow from “S$2,800 to a whopping S$10,500.”
A third chimed in with a comparison. His colleague, who had stayed loyal to one company since 2017, was earning around S$6,000. Meanwhile, after four job switches, he was already making S$7,400.
A fourth shared, “I graduated in 2020. I’ve changed jobs three times. Currently making S$13.8k.”
“You need to hop strategically.”
Still, even with all the glowing stories about job-hopping and big pay raises, not everyone was fully convinced. A few users stepped in to play devil’s advocate, warning that hopping around too often could backfire in the long run.
One user pointed out that while it might work in the short term, constantly switching jobs could eventually turn into “a liability.”
Another advised, “If you’re job hopping, you need to hop strategically. If you hop too fast, too frequently, for too long, you might accidentally land in a role that’s way too high above your pay grade. If you land in a company that you really like, stay a bit longer. And be careful of lifestyle creep. Use the extra increment on investing and up-skilling.”
Meanwhile, a third chimed in with a counterargument, saying that sometimes staying put in one company can pay off as well.
They said, “Staying in the same company can net you good increments too. In 2010, my base salary was S$1,800. Now, in 2025, it’s S$9,500. I’ve only been promoted twice in the 15 years in my company, and I have been holding the same job title for the last 10 years by choice because I am not interested in climbing the corporate ladder any further, as I know it’s not for me.”
Job hopping: Is there a downside?
While job hopping is definitely beneficial in terms of salary growth, career advancement, and skill development, career experts have warned that there is also a downside to this.
Avery Morgan, chief HR officer at writing platform EduBirdie, noted that moving from company to company too often can lead to burnout, weaken professional reputations, and make employees “resistant to learning and overly self-reliant.”
She also told Forbes that this can result in a “purpose crisis,” where people who achieve financial success relatively early, perhaps in their 30s or 40s, start to wonder whether their work still holds any real meaning.
Follow Google News
Join us on WhatsApp
Follow us on Telegram