POTENTIAL RAMIFICATIONS FOR YOUNGER WORKERS, EMPLOYERS AND SINGAPORE
If the “choosiness” that embodies the current employees’ market – at least from the employer’s perspective – persists, it could inadvertently dampen the competitiveness of the local workforce, some employers said.
Mr Lim, the business owner, said that it is still not clear whether the current attitudes among young workers will “be a new trendsetter for employment in Singapore”.
He noted that amid the current labour shortage, it will be no surprise for firms unable to hire local employees to turn to foreign talent – be it bringing them in from other countries or having them work remotely overseas.
“For the employees … once they see that jobs are now being taken up by other labour sources like foreign workers or more mature workers willing to take the job, then I think (by then), their options will be quite limited,” he said.
Agreeing, Ms Carmen Wee, founder and chief executive officer of HR advisory services firm Carmen Wee & Associates, cautioned that some younger workers could be left behind if they are unable to compete against their peers in Singapore as well as their counterparts from other countries.
“If (the younger generation) continues to be average and mediocre, and other people upgrade their skills and have more to offer in their resumes, then obviously they may not be as competitive when they go for job interviews, and promotion prospects will be affected,” she said. “There could come a time where there is a recession, and retrenchment is on the way, then they could be on the chopping board.”
She added: “These are the inevitable realities if one chooses to not pay attention to one’s career longevity and employability.”
However, employers and experts both agree that the younger generation of workers has their own strengths.
Ms Geraldine Kor, country managing director of telecommunications firm Telstra’s Singapore office, said that what she has seen from the younger workers at her firm is that they are willing to learn new skills as long as it is in their areas of interest.
To channel the workers’ interests, her firm provides, for example, training opportunities in different fields ranging from coding to business analytics. By doing so, the firm hopes to match young workers to new skillsets that they are passionate about.
“The organisation benefits because workers come away more motivated, and also more skillful, and as long as they feel engaged, the company gets the retention … because once they have the passion, their potential really gets manifested,” she said.
Agreeing, Ms Wee said that due to access to social media, the younger generation has developed more diverse interests.
“There are a lot of global and social issues that they are interested in, because they want to make an impact,” she said.
She added: “They are the ones who have very firm beliefs around how society should be run, and how society should treat the more marginalised.”
The challenge ahead is not so much about how to deal with the work attitudes of the younger generation, but how mentors and employers can harness the energy and passion that many of these workers have, she said.
“These are good causes and we need the young people to have passion to articulate their point of view,” she said.
“Because they are the ones who are going to live on this planet in the coming decades, and they will have to deal with some of these issues. If they have begun to get involved, it is a very good sign.”
This story was originally published in TODAY.