SINGAPORE: A Singaporean jobseeker confessed on social media that it “feels demoralising” watching everyone else around him “thrive in their careers” or land new jobs with apparent ease, while he has spent the past six months desperately chasing roles with barely any success.
Turning to the r/singaporejobs forum on Tuesday (Mar 10), he questioned whether the difficulty he is experiencing might be a sign that he is simply not competitive enough in the current job market.
“Is the SG job market really that bad, or am I just not qualified enough?” he wrote. “Is my resume just not good enough to get attention from recruiters?”
The man explained that he had begun applying for new roles back in October 2025, while still employed.
“I have been applying for a job since last year, October, while I was still employed. But I felt so miserable, and honestly, my physical and mental health were spiralling down while working there, so I decided to tender my resignation even before securing a new job.”
Since then, his job search has not produced many results. He mentioned that the only progress so far has been a single interview, which took place the previous week.
“I haven’t heard from that company yet, so now I’m getting even more anxious,” he shared.
“It took me close to two years to get a job.”
In the discussion thread, several commenters pointed out that “people who appear to secure jobs easily” may actually be sending out large numbers of applications or working tirelessly behind the scenes.
Others added that some candidates might be applying for junior roles, which they believe can sometimes be easier to secure compared with more specialised or senior positions.
One commenter also questioned where the jobseeker was getting the impression that everyone else was thriving.
“Where are you seeing ‘everyone around’ thriving in their careers and easily securing new jobs? LinkedIn? 80% of the posts are hot air; you hardly see people moaning about their predicament of unemployment on LinkedIn.”
Many people in the thread also tried to reassure the jobseeker that he was not the only one facing such challenges.
One shared, “Experienced staff here in finance. Have been applying since last July. Of the almost 100 apps I sent out between then and Dec, none replied. Have also had recruiters call but got ghosted. I ended up landing 2 interviews through referrals; both made it to final stage, only for them to tell me they were closing the vacancy due to budget for 2026.”
Another wrote, “It is pretty cooked… I’ve been applying since July last year. Been on a couple of final round interviews but only landed 1 offer, which I eventually rejected due to title stagnancy, longer progression potential, and a less-than-ideal benefits package. It’s tough.”
A third simply added, “All the best, bro. It took me close to two years to get a job.”
In other news, a woman has ignited fresh conversation about the intense pressure to settle down in Singapore after sharing how her parents reacted to her best friend’s engagement news.
She wrote on r/sgdatingscene that she was genuinely thrilled for her friend when she first heard the news, and for a brief moment, it was simply a happy milestone worth celebrating. But when she told her family the news, her mood quickly changed as her parents “looked at her as if she were a failure.”
“I could tell that they were visibly unhappy with the news,” she said. “It just gets worse and worse each year as people around me settle down.”
Read more: Singapore woman feels pressured by parents after best friend gets engaged
