SINGAPORE: They both became software personnel to make money while between work. Then they discovered making their future career move more challenging than they anticipated, but that’s where the similarities end.
Mr Kelvin Lee, 50, has made his living as a shipping horse for four years, while Raj ( who asked not to be identified by his full name ), 33, has been a private-hire vehicle for nine months.
The older man is a diploma-holder who spent most of his job in design.  , He lost his lease job in hospitality in 2020, during the pandemic, and thought he would return to the business after COVID-19 blew over. However, Mr. Lee discovered that his interests had changed and that he wanted to spend more time with his family.  ,
He now earns S$ 3, 000 ( US$ 2, 330 ) to S$ 4, 000 a month working eight hours a day. He does n’t take any vacations, but he claims to work for the same amount of money as he did at his previous job.
Mr Lee sees supply work as a method- to long-term career, and has accepted that he may be doing this until pensions, which he expects to be in his 60s or 70s.
Raj, but, was sure he’s simply driving for the short term, after leaving a high-pressure work in sales at a digital analysis company. He then earns on S$ 6, 000 a fortnight driving every week and half-days on vacation.
The student was enthusiastic about working toward the end of her senior year for a full-time position in business development or online marketing. He claimed he was putting in the long run for an expected monthly income of S$ 10, 000, which he used to get.
Raj and Mr Lee are part of a diverse team of around 70, 000 software staff in Singapore.
Singapore passed policy earlier in September earlier that year to strengthen its rights and recognize platform workers as a specific group.
Increased contributions to the required Central Provident Fund ( CPF ) savings plan, including from employers, mandatory work injury insurance coverage, and better representation in labor negotiations are now part of their protections.
Questions have been raised about whether system work has evolved into a viable, yet lifelong career option as a result of these moves, particularly those that aim to better meet pension and housing needs through CPF.
Planning IN WITH “EYES WIDE OPEN”
Mr. Lee is happy with his delivery work because his financial obligations are minor, he earns more than he would in other jobs, and he does n’t anticipate much career advancement at this young age. Additionally, he’s confident that platform jobs wo n’t dry up.
But he would n’t recommend young people be full-time platform workers. ” There’s no career progression, and there’s always a limit ( to what ) you can earn”.
Raj was just as anxious for fresh, better-educated system workers.
” I do worry about people who have studied, who could contribute in a much larger fashion to the economy, but are deciding to just continue driving private-hire (vehicles ) because they enjoy the flexibility of this job”, he said.
He knows two individuals who are graduates, one with a master’s level, who have stayed on despite no first approaching system function as a second option.
Aged around 30 and childless, these friends of Raj’s are content to keep at it as they also have no family-related agreements nor costs however.
While some treat platform work as transitional, a substantial portion see it as a long-term career choice, said Dr Mathew Mathews, principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies ( IPS) and head of its Social Lab.
They find the earnings comparable to those of other jobs, he added, and they have a preference for work where you do n’t have to directly report to someone because it has much lower barriers for entry, he added.
Koh Poh Koon, the senior minister of state for labor, addressed the “finely healthy end ground” between support and versatility in the new collection of protections that the government has introduced in parliament.
However, software workers have already expressed concerns about how higher Pension contributions will affect their monthly pay. Some people have said they wo n’t participate in the program, which is required only for platform workers who turn 30 or younger in 2025.
The Land Transport Authority has set a minimum period of 30 for private-hire generating applications since 2020.  ,
When questioned about the new safeguards ‘ policy objective, Dr. Mathews, whose analysis includes system work, said he did not believe it was intended to nudge employees aside from what is legitimate work that benefits the economy.
” Yet, the Bill does make some corrections, at least in terms of opinions, for younger employees who may be eager to enter full-time platform work based on the false notion that system work is much more lucrative than traditional job.
That definitely seemed to be the case when system work earnings did not qualify for Psc deductions. Then, with CPF assumptions, the average earnings for system work and standard professional work will not be too far apart, “he said.