‘Still jobless despite applying everywhere’ — Singaporeans share struggles in competitive job market

SINGAPORE: After an online user started a thread for jobless people in an online forum, many others shared their struggles finding work in the post’s comments section.

“What are your current plans, and what kind of jobs would someone recommend?” the writer asked. “How long have you been unemployed? Are any of the job-finding channels or portals deemed useful?” Many contributed to the thread, sharing their personal experiences. One, who has been unemployed since last Dec, wrote, “I am still jobless. I am applying for so many positions. Yet no answer from any applications.”

Another, who was a former police officer, shared his journey of trying to switch to the IT sector. “Left the police force after nearly six years,” he wrote. “I applied to another civil service for an enforcement role and was rejected despite my experience. I am studying part-time now, hoping to break into IT. Zero transferable skills are coming out of the police force. The only job I was offered was for an NEA contractor to catch people littering/smoking with a 30% pay cut, and I still need to have my transport.”

One commenter in his mid-40s shared some job-hunting resources for jobseekers. “Try Project Success, Jobstreet, Glassdoor, MyCareerFutureSG, and also jobsdb,” he said. “I got a job within seven months of unemployment, and four months plus later, I changed to another administrative role. I had a diploma, but it was unrelated to the jobs I applied for. But I do have related experiences… I am at a loss of what to do, but my job is to support my family.”

Another unemployed person who has been unemployed since last April shared how part-time jobs have helped him stay afloat. “Still doing part-time and also part-time night classes, struggling to get a job in my industry even though I have one year of experience in it,” he wrote. “I’ve been unemployed since April last year. It’s a sad life, but at least I’m bringing in some cash… I shifted to applying for other full-time job roles.”

See also: ‘I don’t know what to do’ — SG worker worried because she’s already 6.5 months into her job, but she’s still struggling with anxiety