‘This isn’t a school’: Singaporeans say companies are not investing in training employees

SINGAPORE: In an online discussion, when a commenter expressed that “not many companies are willing to train people anymore,” many agreed, pinpointing it as a problem not only for younger members of the workforce.

The discussion took place when the April 6 article, “WP MPs ask if Singapore’s job market is leaving young people behind,” from The Independent Singapore, was shared on Reddit. 

Several WP MPs will be raising questions about the latest Graduate Employment Survey (GES), which showed that fewer Singapore university graduates found jobs within six months of finishing their exams.

This is a topic that WP MPs and NCMPs have been vocal about. Last year, they raised various questions in Parliament, including whether the Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) can help Singapore’s fresh graduates find jobs.

This appears to echo the concerns of other Singaporeans. In February, a young woman who will be graduating this year told CNA that she wished the Government would incentivise companies to hire fresh graduates for entry-level roles so that companies would not look for applicants with experience for these roles. She also suggested that the Government could pay for new hires’ training periods when they are on probation, which would serve as an incentive for companies to hire fresh graduates

On the Reddit post, the comment that received the most upvotes began with “Not many companies are willing to train people anymore. Almost every position, they are hired to just plug and play. Most companies are also understaffed, and employees are overworked, which leaves almost no room for self-improvement or development via rotation or courses within the company. Cause who else is going to do the work?”

The commenter added that entry-level jobs are now outsourced, which leaves fresh graduates few positions to apply for.

They were answered by someone who works for a Japanese firm, which makes it a point to hire fresh graduates every year, recognising that the talent pipeline needs to be kept flowing, which firms see as an investment in the future.

“The fresh grads of today will eventually become the management and leaders of many years later… If you have blank years, you’ll create gaps in the talent ladder and experience a leadership vacuum once the preceding batch of leadership (or even just mid management) retires,” they added.

Another, who also works for a Japanese company, said that when a young worker underperforms, instead of getting fired, older colleagues try to help them build capacity.

As for the lack of training in Singapore, another wrote, “I’ve been to three jobs since COVID, mid-level 130k PA cookie-cutter role whose function is to plug the gap in process. No training provided, just reading material and jumping straight to the fire.” 

A commenter shared that during one interview, they were told, “We hire you for your skills, not to teach you. This isn’t a school.” /TISG

Read also: Budget 2026: Student wishes Gov’t would incentivise companies to hire fresh graduates, including paying for probation period