WHY IS IT TOUGH TO BE A YOUNG SINGAPOREAN THESE DAYS?

======================================

by Jack

11 Oct 2022 9:09am

First, I can’t imagine being able to afford a home any time soon.

BTO prices are crazy, and that is assuming you are attached and can share the cost with a partner. For people like me who are not, I can only wait till I’m 35. Who knows how much HDB flats will be by that time? And even if I do get a BTO on the first attempt, I’ll be 40 by the time the house is ready. 

Alternatively, I can look at private housing. Which I cannot afford. It is very disappointing that we now have to stress about a roof over our heads, when this should have been one of the basic needs fulfilled when Singapore became a first world country. 

Second, I have to live with adults constantly telling me that I just have to work hard. 

These adults boast about how they were able to get HDB flats early in their 20s, and flip it for a profit. They talk about how they work hard in their 9-5 job and that is all that matters.

Yet, it has already been reported that salaries are not increasing as fast as our costs of living. It will be impossible for an average Singaporean like me, without rich parents, to go down the same path. Working hard is not enough. I could work 3 jobs and still not be able to afford a house. 

Most importantly, nobody gets it.

Most people are just complaining that we are a spoilt bunch of people who do not know that we have it good. They are unable to understand why we have to worry about a roof over our heads. All the Government can tell us is that they will try to keep it affordable but yet we do not see any signs of that. 

They say that we are spoilt when we expect a higher pay per hour. They forget to think about how expensive things are getting relative to how much we are earning. 

All we are asking for is that food, water, and shelter come at a humanly price. Nobody is asking for cars and condos here.