SKILLS AND EXPECTATION GAPS
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has been paying closer attention to young jobseekers in this time of global uncertainty, secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said.
This group faces four gaps in their transition to the workforce, he said. The first is a skills gap where youths feel they need upskilling to enter fast-evolving fields.
The second is an expectation gap in terms of salary, work-life balance and job fit, while the third is an opportunity gap, with graduates concerned about how global instability and the rise of artificial intelligence will impact the jobs available to them.
Finally, the experience gap, where employers often want candidates who have prior work experience.
These four gaps are causing anxiety to students coming out to work, said Mr Ng.
“I think these are valid concerns, and it’s a sign that our young workers care deeply about meaningful, sustainable careers,” he said.
Dr Tan said the gaps mentioned by Mr Ng are pertinent in today’s environment, highlighting the expectation gap as an important one.
“I think if we can overcome this, at least this mismatch in terms of expectation, I think that a significant number of young people, fresh graduates, would be able to find something that they would like to do.”
Reiterating Dr Tan’s call for new graduates to be flexible, Mr Ng said there are opportunities in Singapore’s resilient job market.
“So we do encourage our young workers, our youths, to keep an open mind. Consider all the different possibilities and the job offers available,” he said.
“Even when they may not feel that the job checks every box, but these jobs can open the first doors to experience, networks and potentially new (career) directions at a very young age.”
