A rewarding job matters to all age groups in Singapore

More than 40% of 18 to 29 year olds have a positive outlook on the economy, but less than half of of surveyed 50 to 60 year olds feel the same.
By: | February 11, 2019
Topics: Asia-Pacific | Employee Experience | News | Singapore

 

A new survey has revealed distinct career and life aspirations amongst different generations of respondents in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to the LinkedIn Opportunity Index – which involved over 11,000 respondents from nine markets in the Asia-Pacific region – people in their 20s are most keen on learning opportunities, while those in their 30s are most interested in career advancement.

On the other hand, developing and growing their own business resonates most with people in their 40s and 50s.

Interestingly, Singapore is an exception where people across all generations surveyed revealed that a rewarding job matters most to them.

In addition, being and remaining employed is clearly a priority as unemployment (21%) emerged as one of the top concerns among all age groups.

Despite having similar goals, each generation’s confidence levels in achieving these goals differ.

Some 42% of 18 to 29 year olds are confident of securing the main opportunity sought after while only 34% of respondents aged 50 to 60 years old feel the same.

However, it is those aged 30 to 39 years old (46%) that display the greatest confidence.

 

Barriers to job happiness

While respondents in Singapore have cited a common goal of securing stable and rewarding jobs, the barriers to achieving this are different across the generations.

Unsurprisingly, more 18 to 29 year olds in Singapore cite the lack of sufficient work experience (32%) and lack of required professional skills (26%) as barriers to achieving opportunity.

Beyond skills, this group also yearns for guidance and support, with the “lack of confidence” (24%) and “fear of failure” (20%) showing up as stronger perceived barriers.

Some barriers stood out stronger for certain age groups compared to others. “Lack of time” was a greater barrier for 30 to 49 year olds while the “pace of technological changes” emerged as a key challenge for the 50 to 60 year olds.

This suggests that family commitments could be getting in the way of working professionals’ route to success and that technological advancement might be too rapid for them to keep up with.