Insight first featured on Straits Times.
SINGAPORE – University undergraduate Pakshalikhaa Reddy, 20, works part-time as a retail assistant at a toy shop to fund her “social and lifestyle needs”, such as birthday meals with friends, travelling and going to concerts.
She receives $100 a week in allowance from her mother, but also tries to earn at least $500 a month from working one day a week during the weekends.
Ms Reddy is not alone.
In a survey of 500 parents with school-going children, 40 per cent of parents with children in post-secondary education – such as in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnic or university – say their children work.
Of this group, about half work part-time during the school week, while close to 60 per cent work during the school holidays. Others earn money from being content creators, or have their own side hustles.
The percentages do not add up to 100 per cent as respondents can choose more than one option in the survey.
The Straits Times commissioned the survey, conducted by market research firm Milieu Insight, to find out how much allowance parents give their school-going children and issues related to spending, saving and working.
The top three reasons why these students work are to gain work experience before joining the workforce, to supplement spending for their lifestyle, and to gain financial independence.
Ms Reddy, an accountancy undergraduate at the Singapore Management University, said she does not want to ask her mother to fund expenses that are not a need, but a want. These include celebrating her friends’ birthdays, which can add up to $50 or $60 for a meal at a cafe and a gift purchase.
She added: “If I can work for it, I should work for it. I like being financially independent.”
Ms Lena Teo, director of programmes and services at Care, a social service agency that helps at-risk youth, said the popularity of social media has given rise to a hustle culture, where young people see being financially resourceful as something to be celebrated.
She added: “Social media has normalised travelling and the nice stuff (in life), so youth want to enjoy what their friends enjoy. If not, they will have Fomo (fear of missing out), and so they hustle.
“And it’s also to build up their resume with some work experience as it’s so competitive now.”
The accessibility of social media and online platforms also allows students to turn their interests and skills into a source of income, such as by being a content creator or selling things, she added.
While some students work to fund their wants and wishes, others do so to support themselves.
Mr Irfan Fiqri, 20, works at a cafe serving food and brewing coffee during the weekends and school holidays, while juggling his studies. He is currently enrolled in a technical diploma course in hospitality and hotel management at the ITE.
On average, he earns about $900 a month if he works on weekends during the school term. He uses the sum to support himself and help his grandmother, who is not working, with some household bills.
Mr Irfan said he is not in contact with his parents and lives with his grandmother.
He added: “My grandmother gets financial help from the Government, so I want to help her as much as I can. And I work to gain experience as I hope to go into F&B (food and beverage) in the long run.”
His social life has to take a back seat as he juggles his studies with earning an income.
He said: “I tell myself that if I work hard now, I will have an easier life in future.”
Ms Sherming Gan, 23, a final-year psychology student at the National University of Singapore, started giving tuition about three years ago as she heard it “pays quite well”.
On average, she earns about $1,700 a month from tutoring secondary school students in mathematics and science.
The eldest of three children, she has not taken an allowance from her father since she started university. She said: “I think it’s good to work to be financially independent, and I don’t want to burden my dad.”
Ms Gan’s parents are divorced, and she lives with her father, who “works in F&B and does not earn much money”.
Of her income, she spends a maximum of $500 on food, transport and other expenses a month, and saves the rest.
She added: “I work as I want to have my own savings... It’s basically like I’m buying freedom through working – freedom to travel and to buy the things that I want.”
Milieu provides an online survey platform to help you conduct market research. As one of Singapore's leading marketing research agencies, we help organisations succeed in a data-driven environment.
