‘When you get a job offer, seriously consider accepting it,’ Ong Ye Kung tells young Singaporeans

SINGAPORE: At last month’s Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum, Health Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Ong Ye Kung was the Guest of Honour.

At the event, where university students and members of academia have the opportunity to have a direct dialogue with a senior political leader, Mr Ong acknowledged that getting employed has gotten harder for today's young Singaporeans, outlining in his speech that today’s job market has become more challenging.

“Some of you are stacking up multiple internships to secure a job. Some of you sent out hundreds of CVs, and you may not get a call back,” he said, adding that while a degree continues to remain valuable, with more graduates today, having one distinguishes a job applicant less than before.

He also admitted that aside from looking at academic performance, employers select applicants through internships, though this has come with an unintended consequence.

“Now we have a self-reinforcing loop,” he said.

As employers have tightened hiring criteria, graduates have responded by doing more to meet the new criteria, leaving employers with the need to differentiate further.

The minister also addressed the problem that Artificial Intelligence has brought to the young labour force. Routine tasks that new hires used to do have become automated in some organisations and industries, creating higher baseline expectations of what a new hire has to do.

Mr Ong then went on to advise the young Singaporeans in his audience as to what they can do. He encouraged them to remain confident, as Singapore is still competitive and creating jobs.

“You’re not entering a declining or stagnant economy. So you are not cooked,” he told them.

Next, he encouraged them to tap into the support structure around them, including the programmes and people who want to help new graduates succeed.

He also told job applicants to demonstrate their interest, passion, and desire to pursue mastery, and, when a job offer comes their way, to seriously consider taking it.

“Sometimes, fresh graduates turn down an offer because the salary fell short of expectations or due to a lack of work-life balance. And these things matter a lot, but at the start of your career, learning and laying a career foundation matter the most. 

So if the employer does not offer the option of working from home, understand that there are good reasons for requiring physical presence. It is about being present at the workplace, to learn the ropes, to interact with colleagues, mentors, and supervisors face-to-face, to observe how decisions are made,” he told the audience.

Mr Ong assured them that their first job does not have to define their whole career, adding, “Seizing an opportunity, even an imperfect one, is giving yourself a platform to build towards your goals.” /TISG

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