Job hopping is nothing new in Singapore. This study may shed some light on why it’s so commonplace
Almost eight in 10 Singaporeans would consider switching to a completely new role if it means a bigger pay check, according to a survey by Monster.com.
Job hopping is nothing new to Singaporeans – 60% of respondents said they are already jobhunting within their field – but 79% said they would consider a career outside of their field of study for higher salaries and because they “want the best job”.
Although financial stability (30%) is the main reason why Singaporeans are making the switch to another career, about 22% are also doing it out of concern regarding the lack of growth and progression opportunities in their current field.
For fresh candidates, the biggest reason for wanting a job outside of their recent field of study was to “explore their options” (53%), but they are concerned about a lack of experience in an entirely different field (54%) and lack of qualifications (15%).
Among mid-career professionals, 42% of Singaporeans said their current career path is no longer desirable because they feel underpaid, while 26% simply said their chosen field “wasn’t how they expected it to be”. This is important, considering 36% say their primary motivation to work is personal fulfilment and passion, while 34% say it’s their need to contribute to the household income.
For more senior professionals with 15+ years of experience, 85% plan to switch career paths immediately or in the near future, as they have a strong desire to do something more purposeful and challenging (54%).
The most desirable industry to switch to is IT, with 15% wishing to get a job in the IT hardware/software field. Coming in second place is 13% hoping to get into the media and entertainment sector.
“The stigma of job hopping or making a complete career switch is slowly waning,” said Abhijeet Mukherjee, CEO at Monster.com – APAC & Gulf. “It’s no longer an expectation that someone remains in the field they chose to study for 10 or even five years.
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He added that Singaporeans believe that the act of switching careers is “brave” (43%), “commendable” (28%) and “impressive” (16%). Only 13% said it sounded “risky” and just 1% consider it “irresponsible” to switch paths.