CareersCompass by MyCareersFuture Podcast

Want to Progress In Your Career? Here’s The Secret to Getting Ahead (Growth)

Many workers still subscribe to the old school notion that career progression should be a straight climb — with no detours, gaps, or pivots.
But according to Wilfrid Foo, Managing Director for Direct Motor Interests at Jardine Cycle & Carriage, such notions of career progression are increasingly outmoded.
The idea that you start at the bottom and eventually rise to the top after years in the same company or industry no longer reflects how careers actually unfold.
He believes that the new models of career development is less about tenure and more about impact.
Rather than a straight climb upward, careers now look more like a game of snakes and ladders — with momentum that shifts, stalls, and surges at different points. This 'M-shaped' trajectory, with its peaks and dips, is becoming the new normal.
Wilfrid, speaking at an EthosBeathChapman event on career transitions, building transferable skills, and adapting to change, also shared more from his myriad of career experiences, having taken on many different roles, “even within one company,” as he put it!
Key Highlights to Listen to
(2:02) What to do if you’re a deep introvert managing career changes
(3:21) Tenure vs impact: What will really get you ahead in the career game
(5:01) Why understanding the financial aspects of your company matters
(7:05) The right way to shake things up in a new role
Have a job but want to level up? Achieve career excellence, develop your skills, and expand your knowledge with resources from Career GRIT. Check it out now!

Stop Looking at Labour as a Cost, but an Asset, says this Singaporean Employer (Insights)

One of the challenges of considering labour as an asset, not a cost, comes down to how accounting works. The basic  principles of accounting that companies must follow require them to treat labour as a cost..
According to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), an asset must meet specific criteria:
It must be a resource controlled or owned by the company.
It must be able to generate future economic benefits.
Its value must be capable of being measured reliably.
Employees are not owned, can leave at any time, and their contribution to future revenue is not reliably quantifiable in monetary terms on the balance sheet.
As such, on income statements, labour is recorded as wages or a salary expense, regarded as a service consumed during the accounting period to generate revenue, and costs that reduce net income in the period they occur.
But what if this very mindset is limiting the growth a company can make?
And what results can ensue if your company flips the script and starts looking at employees as assets, not costs?
Ask Liaw Chun Huang, the chief financial officer at KTC Civil Engineering & Construction, known for projects like Marina Bay Sands and Tampines Central Station.
He shared at Workforce Singapore’s (WSG) Career Health Summit on this topic, the strategic value of skills-based hiring, and the critical role of training and continuous upskilling in maintaining competitiveness and profitability.
And if you can’t shake off the bottom-line focused voice in your head, here’s something that will get your attention- Chun Huan revealed that the staff-focused initiatives at KTC allowed them to enjoy an incredibly low staff turnover-rate of 1.3%!
This was pretty remarkable as the average staff turnover rate in Singapore was approximately 18-19% annually as of late 2025, reflecting a rising trend compared to 2024 at 16.7%.
Listen to this podcast to learn more from him on the secrets of attracting and retaining the best talent in the Singapore workforce!
Key highlights to listen to
(1:10) Why should capital investment in machinery outweigh workers that also generate revenue?
(3:11) What can your organisation do more to retain and attract top talent
(3:56) How working with WSG helped KTC to build a structured approach for better staff retention
Have a job but want to level up? Achieve career excellence, develop your skills, and expand your knowledge with resources from Career GRIT. Check it out now!

COS 2026: Driving Companies and Workers Towards AI Literacy (Growth)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said during the Committee of Supply (COS) debates in Parliament the government’s goal is to empower Singapore companies to:
Harness AI end-to-end
Redesign business processes
Embed AI into core operations
Develop proprietary applications
Transform workflows
Upgrade jobs and skills
Of course, workers will also have to get onboard these efforts, but don’t worry, we are not called to all be AI engineers, but rather, to become AI literate, according to LinkedIn’s APAC Head Economist Pei Ying Chua.
We speak more with Pei Ying for further insights on why AI is such a big focus in Budget and COS 2026- check out our podcast on what these implications mean for local employers and jobseekers!
This podcast was developed in collaboration with LinkedIn.
Key highlights to listen to
(1:19) How SME's are really doing in integrating AI
(4:48) Do you need to hire workers who are plug-and-play for AI?
(6:36) How will AI affect your business and career industry?
(7:42) What the Brad Pitt vs Tom Cruise AI viral video shows about the future of AI and work
(10:41) Why AI will give fresh grads better experiences on their first job than their predecessors
Have a job but want to level up? Achieve career excellence, develop your skills, and expand your knowledge with resources from Career GRIT. Check it out now!

Stress Spillover: When Work Worries Affect Your Personal Relationships (Growth)

Let’s run through some common scenarios:
Your partner wants to talk about their problems at work, but you don’t really feel interested to listen, or play therapist
Your partner suddenly decides on a career choice that will involve making less money – without discussing it with you first
You’re on holiday with friends, but their constant checking of emails and messages makes you feel like you’re travelling alone
Your friends are unable to make time for you due to overwhelming work commitments and irregular shifts.
If any of these are making you grit your teeth in irritation – or flush with embarrassment – you are clearly familiar with career stress spillover, a term that has become popular online in recent years.
As definitions go, it’s quite simple: when pressure, emotions, and tensions from one area of life – such as work or school – transfers into other areas, affecting interactions and relationships.
For women looking to return to the workforce after taking a parenting or caregiving-linked career break, such spillovers can be hard to manage on top of everything else they're juggling.
Thomas Tsang, a counsellor at Eagles Medication and Counselling Centre, explained to CNA: “Most couples I work with are working couples, which reflects a common norm in Singapore's affluent society.”
“As such, relationship conflicts often revolve around work-related factors such as finances, material expectations, quality of living and perceived status.”
Ms Ooi Sze Jin, a registered psychologist and founder of A Kind Place, added: “One might work nine to five, another might do overtime or shift work.”
“The one who works more gets home tired and carrying stress, and their partners become the default 'outlet' (for them to vent their frustrations).”
“This happens because their partner is the person they see most, there's an expectation of unconditional emotional support, and it feels 'safe' to unload at home.”
Stress Spillover: The trick is about self-regulation
Hazel Tan, a Mental Resilience & Clarity Coach at Growth Luminance believes such habits are really about learning to self-regulate, and not seek validation, or be overly dependent on emotional support from partners, family and friends.
Drawing from her own experience, she shared how leaving a corporate job some years back and started a French bakery with a friend was challenging to manage alongside family life—particularly in terms of how her decision would affect household finances and care for her daughter, who was in kindergarten at that time.
Key highlights to listen to
Hazel also shares about:
(2:42) The relationship cost of making careers decisions without your partner
(3:55) How to manage when work stress hits the fan, and stop stress spillover
(6:05) Compassion fatigue: when you’re tired of playing therapist for close ones
Listen to the full podcast to learn how to protect both your career health and your relationships.
Have a job but want to level up? Achieve career excellence, develop your skills, and expand your knowledge with resources from Career GRIT. Check it out now!

Budget 2026: What's There For Workers, Jobseekers and Employers? (Readiness)

This episode unpacks Singapore's Budget 2026 delivered by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, focusing on preparing the workforce, boosting AI literacy, and supporting fair wages and job growth.
Key measures annouced for workers, jobseekers and employers covered include:
Practical AI training and tool access
Higher local salary thresholds and progressive wage credits
Expanded training allowances and senior/mid-career support
Business relief measures like tax rebates, grants, and startup funding
Some key takeaways: it's time to build practical AI skills, keep upgrading through modular learning, and for employers—transform your processes and job design so growth delivers better jobs for Singaporeans!
This episode will be in our Listen and Learn format, which covers a selection of popular career-linked articles on our website.
Keeping in the spirit of the times, you’ll be hearing from CareerCompass’ new AI colleagues, Aiden and Aileen, on what you should be aware about ahead of Budget Day.
Key highlights to listen to:
(2:44) How the Government will help AI learning pathways to be easier and clearer
(7:30) What mid-careerists and senior workers have to look out for from Budget 2026
(10:29) What help do local employers have from Budget 2026
Have a job but want to level up? Achieve career excellence, develop your skills, and expand your knowledge with resources from Career GRIT. Check it out now!

Budget 2026: What Singaporean Workers and Employers Are Talking About (Insights)

We round up some key topics that affect Singapore’s workforce, jobseekers and employers ahead of Budget 2026, which will be delivered by Prime Minister (PM) and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong on 12 February 2026.
This episode will be in our Listen and Learn format, which covers a selection of popular career-linked articles on our website.
Keeping in the spirit of the times, you’ll be hearing from CareerCompass’ new AI colleague, Aiden on what you should be aware about ahead of Budget Day.
Key highlights to listen to:
(2:07) Economic growth is no longer a guarantee of job growth
(3:16) What are WSG’s Job Transformation Maps, and what can you learn from them
(5:59) Upskilling while employed needs to be normal, not exceptional
Have a job but want to level up? Achieve career excellence, develop your skills, and expand your knowledge with resources from Career GRIT. Check it out now!

Career Rizz: Dating Tips That Apply Well for Professional Networking (Insights)

With Valentine’s Day not far off on the horizon, this episode is going to touch an interesting crossover topic: Are there similarities between modern dating and hiring?
After all, these days the key catchphrase in workforce circles is “transferrable skills”, so what would count as such when comparing dating and networking skill sets?
We speak to Ryan Lim, QED Changemakers, an Asian leadership platform, where he is its principal consultant and founding partner.
He covers similarities and tips in terms of:
Dating apps vs application tracking systems
Communicating via text for a first date vs an interview
First impressions on a first date vs an interview
Dressing to impress for a first date vs an interview
Small talk and conversation for a first date vs an interview
Dealing with uncomfortable moments and conversational cul-de-sacs during a first date vs an interview
Following up for a first date vs an interview
Dealing with rejection
Listen on for more tips and anecdotes that crossover from dating to professional networking for better “rizz” in both spaces!
Key Highlights to Listen to:
(1:55) Dealing with dating app algorithms is the same for employer application tracking systems
(5:12) First date vs first interview: All about first impressions
(6:46) Why using too much ChatGPT to communicate before a first date and interview will hurt your chances
Listen and learn more here!
(BONUS) Tips for Speed Networking at the upcoming Career XP event!
Meet employers, attend expert workshops, participate in hands-on activities, and network with industry leaders through an interactive gaming experience.
Earn XP (experience points) with every challenge. Build skills, make connections, and accelerate your career - whether it's your first job or next move.
There’ll be networking opportunities with employers in the hospitality sector at the Link-up Challenge, which will allow young jobseekers to speak to employers and volunteer career advisors (VCAs) to uncover exciting opportunities and gain insider knowledge!
When it comes to such events, Ryan has the following advice:
Do your homework
Do some homework of who are the potential people that you might be meeting in advance: who are the candidates or people that you are expecting to meet?
Be interested, not interesting
If you follow this adage, you can have a sustained conversation -- just remember it is a relational game, not a transactional game. It’s not about the number of name cards you garner, but the information and connections you truly acquire!
Don’t “kancheong”, first impressions matter
You will get to meet the same number of employers and VCAs as everyone else, so don’t rush. Take the time to make a good first impression, with how you carry yourself and what you’re wearing.
Do a dry run
Have a bit of a dry run with your best friend or even people that you tell them, say, I'm going to meet someone interesting or new. Practice making small talk, if that makes you nervous.
Good luck, and see you there at the Career XP event! Learn more about it
Event Details
Date: 21 to 25th January 2026
Time: 11am to 9pm
Venue: Suntec City, Level 1 Atrium (Tower 3 & 4)
Looking for career guidance? If you are exploring career changes and need professional advice, register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Polaris Career Coaching today.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

What Happens and What to Do When Your Employer Has a Retrenchment or M&A Exercise (Tenacity)

Jamie Ong leads the People and Communication function for HAVI Southeast Asia cluster and Freight Management Asia business.
But her two decades in the workforce has not always been so smooth sailing. In fact, Jamie revealed to us that in the course of her career, she’s experienced five merger and acquisitions (M&As)!
These can be fraught with uncertainty, with outcomes ranging from an outright retrenchment by new company investors,  internal restructuring that leads to joining  a new department or team, to performing a completely different job role, she shared.
In this episode, Jamie reveals more on the circumstances of these moments in her career, and puts on her HR director cap on to share tips on how to deal with such situations.
She also talks about how to bounce back, whether it’s moving to a new job or staying in the organisation, and how to settle into the new reality fast.
Key Highlights to Listen to:
(2:45) To be retrenched, or reassigned to a new role during an M&A: Which is worse?
(3:52) How to improve your chances being retained in such situations
(5:23) If your career path changes, how can you settling into your next job fast?
Listen and learn more here!
Looking for career guidance? If you are exploring career changes and need professional advice, register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Polaris Career Coaching today.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

Trying to Figure Out Gen Z and Younger Workers? Here’s Some Advice From an SME Boss (Insights)

Let’s face it — there’s a big disconnect between younger workers and employers these days.
How bad can this gap be, you ask?
Well, a recent study by Becoming You Labs , an academic research organisation in New York, asked 2,100 hiring managers to understand what they looked for in candidates. They also reached out to Gen Z employees to learn about their professional priorities.
And here’s what hiring managers prioritised in what they wanted in candidates and workers:
Achievement (30%)
Learning (22.8%)
Hard work (22.4%)
However, only 2% of the Gen Z employees surveyed ranked all three of these values among their top priorities. Instead, they preferred:
Well-being and self-care
Authenticity and expression
Helping people
Even though this survey was done overseas, these sentiments aren’t too far off touch from Singaporean’s Gen Z’s and younger workers.
In a recent survey conducted by CNA’s Money Mind among youth aged 21 to 28, 53% of Singaporean respondents in viewed flexible work arrangements as their top priority when it came to choosing an employer. 
“Gen Zs in general just want to feel like their boundaries are respected and their work is being valued,” fresh graduate Charlotte Ang said to CNA.
“That’s why I think to a lot of Gen Z, a work-from-office mandatory arrangement might not make sense because you feel very controlled. It seems to convey a lack of trust.”
In this podcast, we speak with Andy Poh, managing director at PAL Line, a global shipping and logistics company in Singapore.
He spoke at a recent Workforce Singapore Employers Connect event on managing the needs of Singapore’s Gen Z employees.
In this podcast, he shares with us more tips to help both local employers and younger employees bridge their differences. Learn more here!
Key Highlights to Listen to
(2:50) Understanding the psyche of Gen Z workers
(3:49) "If the company isn't loyal to me, why should I be loyal to them?"
(4:21) Why Gen Z workers are different, and how to manage them to success
(6:53) What these younger workers can bring to the table, and why it's your loss not to use them
Looking for career guidance? If you are exploring career changes and need professional advice, register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Polaris Career Coaching today.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

New Collar Jobs: Why Skills-Based Assessments Are So Important (Readiness)

“A quiet revolution is reshaping the global workplace”, according to recent industry reports. It was only apt that industry leaders at the recent Economic Times Future Forward Singapore Chapter 2025 discussed the rise of new-collar jobs, which emphasises skill over traditional qualifications.
Panellists at the event shared the following:
Employers need to move towards a more “purposeful agenda”, looking beyond simple profit margins; and
Employees need to build their ability to “unlearn and relearn” continuously, given the pace of tech changes in all industries.
A McKinsey study cited also showed that hiring for skills is five times more predictive of job performance, compared to hiring based on traditional qualifications. Christina Lu Maxwell, Head of HR, APAC at Neste Asia Pacific, added: “The more skills each one of us have, the easier we can pivot (to a changing employment market).”
The big question
Which industries are employers adjusting hiring requirements and introducing skills-based assessments for jobs available, then?
Nilay Khandelwal, Senior Managing Director, Michael Page Singapore, talks of which ones are doing so. He also shares how jobseekers can adjust their CVs and resumes to showcase their demonstrable skills, not simply showcase job titles.
He also mentions the mindset changes that Singaporean workers need to make to nab new collar roles, particularly in terms of
Attitude and willingness to learn;
Staying connected and networking;
Aptitude-building to show problem skills; and
Adaptability to market shifts.
Of course, potential employers may compare you with other candidates that follow a more traditional path. The trick is to show how your commitment to lifelong learning has made you a worker who matches genuine interest in the industry with skill.
In this new job market, he adds, the bottom line for talent is the marketplace is tight. As such, workers must show they’re continually updating their “software”, and showcasing how those skills can add value to current and future employers.
Key Highlights to Listen To:
(1:06) Are Employers Really Hiring Based on Skills Yet?
(2:36) And for Singapore Workers- Are their CVs and Expectations Reflective of Their True Skills?
(3:53) Which Industries Are Hiring for New Collar Jobs, and What are Skills-Based Assessments Focused On?
Listen to this podcast and learn more!
Need personalised guidance in your job search? Register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Career Matching Services today and get the support you need.