SINGAPORE: When Ms Kumar, 27, told her parents she planned to leave her first job, her mother was taken aback and questioned her lack of “loyalty" to the company.
Ms Kumar, who preferred to be known by her surname only, found this sentiment “quite ridiculous”. She left her job as a university administrative executive early last year.
“You have to be loyal to yourself ... what you deserve and how you want to improve. If the company’s not serving you, it’s okay to leave,” she told CNA.
Her point of view appears to be shared by working-age peers in Gen Z – loosely defined as the generation born from 1997 to 2012, and aged 13 to 28 this year.
In a survey by CNA's Money Mind programme, Gen Z workers in Singapore aged 21 to 28 reported the shortest mean optimum period – 2.9 years – for staying in a job, compared to their counterparts in Asian countries.
It was 3.5 years for workers in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines; 3.7 in Malaysia; and the longest of 4.6 in China.
Staying for three to four years was the most popular option for Gen Z workers in most countries, including Singapore. China and the Philippines bucked the trend, with most choosing to stay for five years or more.
In Singapore, 37 per cent of Gen Z workers would choose to stay for a shorter period of one to two years. This was higher than all other countries, particularly China, where just 5 per cent chose this option.
Out of the 508 respondents in Singapore, only 14 per cent chose five years or more as the optimum duration in a job. This was by far the lowest proportion among countries surveyed.
Gen Z workers have a strong desire for higher salaries and career growth, and changing jobs every two to three years is seen as an effective way to develop their careers, said Mr David Blasco, country director at recruiter Randstad Singapore.
But individual motivations aside, structural reasons may also be a factor.
“The pandemic and economic instability, marked by a surge in ‘revenge hiring’ quickly followed by global restructuring and a slowing economy, have made traditional job security feel less attainable,” said Mr Blasco.
“As a result, Gen Z’s tendency to job-hop is better understood as a rational response to a more volatile market, not simply a lack of commitment.”
Ms Kumar, now a programme executive in a non-profit, cited job satisfaction and personal and career development as her main reasons for switching both job and industry.
The Money Mind survey found that in Singapore, work-life balance (65 per cent), high wages (62 per cent) and flexible work arrangements (53 per cent) were Gen Z workers’ top reasons for staying in a job.
On the flip side, work-related stress (48 per cent), lack of career advancement (44 per cent) and unhappiness with a superior or colleague (44 per cent) were their top reasons for quitting in Singapore.
Other Gen Z workers interviewed by CNA cited similar motivations as Ms Kumar.
Mr Heng T J, 28, a public servant in healthcare who asked to be identified by his initials, has changed jobs three times in five years.
Since he started working in 2020, his longest role has been for about two years in a university, while his shortest stint has been around half a year in a bank.
Mr Heng said he did not intentionally set out to change jobs so frequently. But in the early stages of his career, learning is a priority.
“(After) two, two-and-a-half years, if I’m not learning in my role, I guess the hesitation to leave will not be that high,” he said. “I don’t think I should be resting on my laurels.”
His reasons for switching jobs include being a poor fit with the job and workplace culture; lack of growth potential; and dissatisfaction at his scope of work changing after a company reorganisation.
Another Gen Z worker, a 29-year-old advertising and public relations account manager who did not want to be named for this story, has worked in four agencies since 2020.
She stayed for about a year in each position. “At each step, I already know what exactly I want to do, and what I want to achieve out of this agency,” she said.
For example, her goal could be to manage a marketing campaign budget of a certain size, or to run an offline campaign.
“If I’ve already achieved it, whether it’s one year or less than a year, I’ve done what I came here to do. I’ll just move on.”
Human capital experts said Gen Z workers’ priorities differ from those of older workers.
Flexible work arrangements, learning opportunities and quality of management matter more to Gen Z workers, while older workers focus on pay and benefits, job security and job location, according to Aon’s head of talent solutions for Asia-Pacific Puneet Swani.
Mr Blasco said professional and career progression are especially important to Gen Z. “They expect clear growth and development opportunities, seeing each job as a stepping stone rather than a long-term destination.”
Job-hopping also presents an opportunity to negotiate for a higher salary, which was a consistent outcome for the Gen Z workers CNA spoke with.
The account manager said the salary hikes from each job switch outpaced what she would have got from yearly increments if she had stayed put.
Mr Heng, who also got a salary increment each time, recalled a senior’s advice that "the hiring budget at most companies is always higher than the retaining budget”, which he said shaped his thinking.
Mr Swani stressed however that workers should consider job changes for the sake of learning and exposure rather than a salary boost to perform the same role.
“Is it merely a 5 to 10 per cent salary increase, or is it the pursuit of new skills and competencies by transitioning to a different organisation?
“Research indicates that employees who remain with one company tend to perform well, prompting the organisation to invest in their development, fast-track their career progression, and enhance their skills,” he argued.
But organisations must in turn invest in their employees and support skills acquisition, or workers are likely to look elsewhere, he said.
Job-hopping is naturally a challenge for employers because of the substantial costs associated with training and acclimatising new workers, said Mr Swani.
Employers can also see job-hopping as a sign of instability and lack of experience on the part of the potential employee, said Mr Blasco.
“Rather than focusing solely on individual tenures, employers should focus on the clear upsides that Gen Z workers bring,” he said.
“Gen Z’s creativity, comfort with technology and openness to new ideas can accelerate digital transformation, reinvent and strengthen existing processes, and introduce more collaborative, inclusive ways of working.”
Employers should also think about retaining younger workers by aligning with their expectations for competitive salary increases, work flexibility, clear opportunities for career advancement and a “people-centric” workplace culture, added Mr Blasco.
As for workers, “what matters more is being able to show that each job move was made thoughtfully and that you brought commitment and credibility to every role”, he advised.
The Gen Z workers told CNA that although their peers have fears and worries over job-hopping, they themselves have not felt disadvantaged in their job searches so far.
The account manager said that in her industry of advertising and public relations, employers collectively consider the amount of work, clientele and experience she has, rather than looking into how long she was in one company.
This only changed when she was being considered for in-house marketing roles rather than agency ones, with companies in the former category questioning her short stints.
“It says a lot about them as well,” she said. “It’s a two-way street – I am reviewing them as they are reviewing me.”
Mr Heng felt the same. “If the hiring manager is of a very traditional and rigid kind of mindset, would you really want to join such a company?”
Both however expect their attitude and approach towards job-hopping to evolve, with more time spent in the workforce.
Mr Heng said his priorities will change as he goes through different life and career milestones, such as starting a family or becoming a manager.
The account manager said changing jobs every year would not be sustainable in the long run, and believes this is probably “the last year” she can do this.
“Moving forward, I would also like to find an environment that I will be happy with for two years,” she said.
“It’s not that I want to leave every one year to earn more money or something. If I can do that in a comfortable place, why would I want to leave?”
Catch Money Mind on CNA TV every Saturday at 8.30pm. The programme is also available anytime on YouTube, meWATCH and video on demand.
Continue reading...
Ms Kumar, who preferred to be known by her surname only, found this sentiment “quite ridiculous”. She left her job as a university administrative executive early last year.
“You have to be loyal to yourself ... what you deserve and how you want to improve. If the company’s not serving you, it’s okay to leave,” she told CNA.
Her point of view appears to be shared by working-age peers in Gen Z – loosely defined as the generation born from 1997 to 2012, and aged 13 to 28 this year.
In a survey by CNA's Money Mind programme, Gen Z workers in Singapore aged 21 to 28 reported the shortest mean optimum period – 2.9 years – for staying in a job, compared to their counterparts in Asian countries.
It was 3.5 years for workers in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines; 3.7 in Malaysia; and the longest of 4.6 in China.
Staying for three to four years was the most popular option for Gen Z workers in most countries, including Singapore. China and the Philippines bucked the trend, with most choosing to stay for five years or more.
In Singapore, 37 per cent of Gen Z workers would choose to stay for a shorter period of one to two years. This was higher than all other countries, particularly China, where just 5 per cent chose this option.
Out of the 508 respondents in Singapore, only 14 per cent chose five years or more as the optimum duration in a job. This was by far the lowest proportion among countries surveyed.
Gen Z workers have a strong desire for higher salaries and career growth, and changing jobs every two to three years is seen as an effective way to develop their careers, said Mr David Blasco, country director at recruiter Randstad Singapore.
But individual motivations aside, structural reasons may also be a factor.
“The pandemic and economic instability, marked by a surge in ‘revenge hiring’ quickly followed by global restructuring and a slowing economy, have made traditional job security feel less attainable,” said Mr Blasco.
“As a result, Gen Z’s tendency to job-hop is better understood as a rational response to a more volatile market, not simply a lack of commitment.”
Related:
NOT RESTING ON LAURELS
Ms Kumar, now a programme executive in a non-profit, cited job satisfaction and personal and career development as her main reasons for switching both job and industry.
The Money Mind survey found that in Singapore, work-life balance (65 per cent), high wages (62 per cent) and flexible work arrangements (53 per cent) were Gen Z workers’ top reasons for staying in a job.
On the flip side, work-related stress (48 per cent), lack of career advancement (44 per cent) and unhappiness with a superior or colleague (44 per cent) were their top reasons for quitting in Singapore.
Other Gen Z workers interviewed by CNA cited similar motivations as Ms Kumar.
Mr Heng T J, 28, a public servant in healthcare who asked to be identified by his initials, has changed jobs three times in five years.
Since he started working in 2020, his longest role has been for about two years in a university, while his shortest stint has been around half a year in a bank.
Mr Heng said he did not intentionally set out to change jobs so frequently. But in the early stages of his career, learning is a priority.
“(After) two, two-and-a-half years, if I’m not learning in my role, I guess the hesitation to leave will not be that high,” he said. “I don’t think I should be resting on my laurels.”
His reasons for switching jobs include being a poor fit with the job and workplace culture; lack of growth potential; and dissatisfaction at his scope of work changing after a company reorganisation.
Another Gen Z worker, a 29-year-old advertising and public relations account manager who did not want to be named for this story, has worked in four agencies since 2020.
She stayed for about a year in each position. “At each step, I already know what exactly I want to do, and what I want to achieve out of this agency,” she said.
For example, her goal could be to manage a marketing campaign budget of a certain size, or to run an offline campaign.
“If I’ve already achieved it, whether it’s one year or less than a year, I’ve done what I came here to do. I’ll just move on.”
Related:
Human capital experts said Gen Z workers’ priorities differ from those of older workers.
Flexible work arrangements, learning opportunities and quality of management matter more to Gen Z workers, while older workers focus on pay and benefits, job security and job location, according to Aon’s head of talent solutions for Asia-Pacific Puneet Swani.
Mr Blasco said professional and career progression are especially important to Gen Z. “They expect clear growth and development opportunities, seeing each job as a stepping stone rather than a long-term destination.”
Job-hopping also presents an opportunity to negotiate for a higher salary, which was a consistent outcome for the Gen Z workers CNA spoke with.
The account manager said the salary hikes from each job switch outpaced what she would have got from yearly increments if she had stayed put.
Mr Heng, who also got a salary increment each time, recalled a senior’s advice that "the hiring budget at most companies is always higher than the retaining budget”, which he said shaped his thinking.
Mr Swani stressed however that workers should consider job changes for the sake of learning and exposure rather than a salary boost to perform the same role.
“Is it merely a 5 to 10 per cent salary increase, or is it the pursuit of new skills and competencies by transitioning to a different organisation?
“Research indicates that employees who remain with one company tend to perform well, prompting the organisation to invest in their development, fast-track their career progression, and enhance their skills,” he argued.
But organisations must in turn invest in their employees and support skills acquisition, or workers are likely to look elsewhere, he said.
Related:
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR WORK
Job-hopping is naturally a challenge for employers because of the substantial costs associated with training and acclimatising new workers, said Mr Swani.
Employers can also see job-hopping as a sign of instability and lack of experience on the part of the potential employee, said Mr Blasco.
“Rather than focusing solely on individual tenures, employers should focus on the clear upsides that Gen Z workers bring,” he said.
“Gen Z’s creativity, comfort with technology and openness to new ideas can accelerate digital transformation, reinvent and strengthen existing processes, and introduce more collaborative, inclusive ways of working.”
Employers should also think about retaining younger workers by aligning with their expectations for competitive salary increases, work flexibility, clear opportunities for career advancement and a “people-centric” workplace culture, added Mr Blasco.
As for workers, “what matters more is being able to show that each job move was made thoughtfully and that you brought commitment and credibility to every role”, he advised.
The Gen Z workers told CNA that although their peers have fears and worries over job-hopping, they themselves have not felt disadvantaged in their job searches so far.
The account manager said that in her industry of advertising and public relations, employers collectively consider the amount of work, clientele and experience she has, rather than looking into how long she was in one company.
This only changed when she was being considered for in-house marketing roles rather than agency ones, with companies in the former category questioning her short stints.
“It says a lot about them as well,” she said. “It’s a two-way street – I am reviewing them as they are reviewing me.”
Mr Heng felt the same. “If the hiring manager is of a very traditional and rigid kind of mindset, would you really want to join such a company?”
Both however expect their attitude and approach towards job-hopping to evolve, with more time spent in the workforce.
Mr Heng said his priorities will change as he goes through different life and career milestones, such as starting a family or becoming a manager.
The account manager said changing jobs every year would not be sustainable in the long run, and believes this is probably “the last year” she can do this.
“Moving forward, I would also like to find an environment that I will be happy with for two years,” she said.
“It’s not that I want to leave every one year to earn more money or something. If I can do that in a comfortable place, why would I want to leave?”
Catch Money Mind on CNA TV every Saturday at 8.30pm. The programme is also available anytime on YouTube, meWATCH and video on demand.
Continue reading...