Key metrics: A dance routine being performed at a motorshow event in the city-state. Passion matters, but salary and advancement still shape job decisions, with 65% in a report saying they would trade personal time for career growth. — AFP
SINGAPORE: She thought her first job out of university would be at a large multinational, working in software engineering.
But Cheng Ruo Xi’s plans shifted when a friend alerted her to an opening at a robotics lab at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), where she was completing her final year of computer science in 2019.
The role involved developing small, modular robots that could serve as building blocks for larger systems.
Cheng found palpable satisfaction in watching a team translate software into physical movement.
Five years on, a corporate job is nowhere on her radar.
Instead, the 28-year-old is focused on growing Rosen Bridge, a startup offering robotics education services in Singapore and China.
She and three like-minded friends co-founded the company in 2023 to improve access to training for aspiring roboticists, ensuring the field keeps pace with rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
“I thought I was just going to work at a startup for a little bit and then, maybe, join a bigger company with the knowledge I had gained,” Cheng said with a laugh.
Her experience reflects how young people in Singapore navigate career choices in a world of flux and opportunity: striving for enriching work while staying open to unexpected paths.
To understand their priorities, The Straits Times commissioned a survey of 1,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 18 to 30, conducted by market research firm Kantar in September 2025.
Respondents included 203 full-time students, 56 individuals in their first job, and 702 experienced workers in their second job and beyond. The rest were unemployed or serving full-time national service.
Young adults in the survey prioritised purpose over prestige, with three in four preferring meaningful work to fancy titles.
Passion matters, but salary and advancement still shape decisions: 65% said they would trade personal time for career growth, and almost a fifth said they would not choose a low-pay job they love over a high-pay job they dislike.
Experienced workers were the only group to rank passion above job security.
“In today’s economic slowdown, where even fresh graduates are struggling to find jobs, we do see some of these sentiments taper off,” said Cindy Lee, country manager of recruitment firm Adecco Singapore.
“People who might have jumped ship earlier are now testing the waters first – applying elsewhere before making a move. There is more cautiousness today than before.”
Globally, observers have described this as a “flight to stability”, particularly among early-career workers.
The survey also found that experienced workers were significantly more satisfied with their current job, career progress and alignment with long-term goals than those in their first roles.
“First jobbers” tended to be less satisfied with their job, progression and alignment with their aspirations.
“This is fairly common and expected, as many first-jobbers experience a reality shock with their first full-time job,” said Assistant Professor Jared Nai, an organisational psychologist at Singapore Management University.
In the workplace, personal relationships, prior background and other intangible factors that do not directly relate to performance come into play, which can be a culture shock for first-job holders raised in a meritocratic education system, Nai added.
Respondents cited an unstable job market, high competition and limited skills or experience as their top obstacles to achieving long-term career goals.
A significantly higher proportion of those aged 18 to 24 reported high competition, limited experience and potential burnout as concerns compared with those aged 25 to 30.
Linda Teo, country manager of ManpowerGroup Singapore, said struggles with job fit and career clarity are common among early-career workers, but need not be resolved through trial and error alone.
“While hands-on experience remains valuable, there are ways to reduce risk and stress before mismatches occur,” she said.
“Career coaching, skills assessments and job shadowing can provide insights into roles and work environments without requiring prolonged misalignment.”
Almost half of those surveyed said they were unsure of their ideal career.
Across full-time workers, part-time workers and students, 13% to 15% also reported being undecided about what they hope to do in the next one to three years.
Some degree of indecision is natural, experts said.
Even among undergraduates who have completed internships or started businesses before entering university, “not many can actually articulate what they want to do and what is available when they graduate”, Nai noted.
“On the surface, it seems that students are increasingly well prepared and have mapped out their career aspirations even before they enter university,” he said.
To help students gain clarity, private education provider SIM Global Education launched its CareerSense app in June 2025.
The tool assesses values, skills and personality traits to generate a tailored list of potential roles and career paths.
SIM deputy provost Timothy Chan said: “While some learning through direct experience is inevitable, we believe that young employees can significantly improve the likelihood of finding a good job fit with the right tools and support.” — The Straits Times/ANN
