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We asked young S’poreans about their concerns & try to address them

Where to buy Labubu isn’t one of them.

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January 17, 2025, 12:00 PM

There are some universal experiences for young Singaporeans as we hit certain age milestones.

In our early 20s, with graduations and new employment, we’d start to explore our newfound freedom as young adults, buoyed by the “adult money” of our first full-time work.

Progress to the 30s, and things like housing and careers start to become bigger considerations. Hitting our 30s is also when young Singaporeans tend to settle down and get married.

Those planning for families might start thinking about how they’ll raise their children, how they’ll provide for their children, and the kind of environment their children will grow up in.

Those who’ve kept up with technology and global trends might be thinking about the need to re-skill and perhaps even switch industries at some point.

As we get older, we not only learn more about ourselves and how we fit into the world around us but also come to understand the complexities faced as young adults navigating the fast-paced, ever-changing landscape of modern Singapore.

With this in mind, Mothership asked our Instagram followers: 20 to 30-year-olds, which of these do you think about the most?  

Finding a good job

Followers responded strongly to the first option: “A job that suits my needs”.

According to the Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review (SPOR) 2024, the proportion of employed residents in professional, managerial, executive, and technical (PMET) positions rose from 58.4 per cent in 2019 to 62.6 per cent in 2023.

Along with that, there’s been a general increase in wages among residents here.

What this means for those in their 20s and 30s: Over time, there’s been more good job opportunities for us.

How can we continue to remain relevant and thrive?

Technological disruption and business transformation will continue to reshape the world around us. That’s why us young Singaporeans must keep thinking about how to remain relevant in the workforce — learning can’t end when we graduate from school.

This is especially critical given that some of the jobs of the future probably don’t exist yet.

SkillsFuture continues to support Singapore workers to improve their skills and acquire new ones.

98 per cent of SkillsFuture trainees surveyed in 2023 said they had better work performance after undergoing training.

There’s also support for mid-career individuals — such as the Career Conversion Programmes and the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme. These help them pivot towards new job roles with longer-term growth prospects.

What about lower-wage workers?

Meanwhile, the government continues to provide support to lower-wage workers.

SPOR 2024 reported that between 2018 and 2023, real income increased faster for lower-wage workers at the 20th percentile than for middle-wage workers whose income is at the median.

The Gini coefficient declined to 0.371 in 2023 after adjusting for taxes and government transfers. The Gini coefficient is a common measure of income inequality that ranges between zero (meaning perfect equality) and one (meaning perfect inequality).

The decline indicates a lower level of household income inequality in Singapore.

Managing climate change

The next issue we polled our followers on was the effects of climate change.

It isn’t the most pressing issue occupying the minds of young Singaporeans, but it’s always in the background.

As a low-lying island nation, Singapore is vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change.

2023 saw the launch of a S$125-million Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme and the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute Singapore.

Since then, 17 research projects to develop solutions and local expertise have commenced.

From January 2022 to June 2024, drainage improvement works have also been completed in over 20 locations to improve the resilience of our drainage system against occasional flash floods due to climate change.

Sustainable development

Young Singaporeans may wonder about Singapore’s plan for sustainable development.

Sustainability efforts in Singapore include progressing towards the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

That might seem like a long way away, but the work has already begun, with investments in solar power and electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, the S$300 in Climate Vouchers for all HDB households encourages us to be more efficient in our use of energy and water, enabling us to save on utility bills in the long run.

Sustainable development also includes taking care of nature.

Over 40 hectares of forest, coastal, and marine habitats have been restored and enhanced.

Species recovery plans have also been implemented for over 80 plant species and over 40 animal species, to conserve these endemic, rare, or threatened native species.

Finding a suitable home

In our poll, finding a suitable home that one can afford was another key concern among young Singaporeans.

It’s worth noting that in 2023, over eight in 10 first-time buyers who bought their flats with HDB loans spent less than a quarter of their monthly income servicing their mortgage payments.

These buyers were able to use their CPF contributions, with little to no cash outlay.

The Enhanced CPF Housing Grant was also increased from August 2024, so that first-timer families can receive housing grants of up to S$120,000 for BTO flats and up to S$230,000 for resale flats.

To help maintain the affordability and accessibility of flats in more attractive locations, the new framework of “Standard, Plus, Prime” flats was introduced from the October 2024 BTO exercise.

Some examples of prime housing include new housing built in locations like the city centre and the Greater Southern Waterfront.

Screenshot via URA Facebook video.

The framework provides additional subsidies for flats in choicer locations, with tighter resale and rental conditions. This helps keep flats affordable and are meant to ensure buyers purchase them primarily for owner occupation.

Meanwhile, the rejuvenation of older housing estates continues. Around 70 percent of the flats built up to 1997 have undergone the Home Improvement Programme.

Tracking our progress

Thinking about how Singapore has progressed in other key areas, such as transport, support for marriage and parenthood, and more?

You might want to take a look at the 2024 edition of the biennial Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review (SPOR).

Visit go.gov.sg/SPOR to read the full report.

This sponsored article by the Ministry of Finance made this writer think about how far Singapore has come.

Top photo via Canva

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