As an expat working in Singapore, I was shocked to discover after speaking to my fellow colleagues that the average Singaporean office worker earns a salary of within $3,000 to $4,000.
I had heard about the country’s reputation for being a wealthy nation, and I was expecting the salaries to be much higher. But the reality is far from what I expected.
I had been living in Singapore for a few months and had done some research into the salaries of the people working here. I was surprised to find out that the average officer worker Singaporean earns around $3,000 to $4,000 a month.
This is less than half of what I earn and I always thought that given the high expenses needed in this country, their salaries should be much more.
The cost of living in Singapore is extremely high and it is not easy to make ends meet on such a low salary.
During one my Grab trips from my place in Bayshore to my officer in Downtown, I found out from speaking to the Grab driver that many of them had the necessary qualifications to get a job in the office.
However, they instead chose to drive Grab either full time or as a side line and choose to be their own bosses so that they can earn more than what the average office worker earns just to make ends meet.
Hearing this, I finally understood the plight many people which I have met during my time here are going through.
Even I myself, earning much more than an average Singaporean, has trouble sometimes trying to keep up with the monthly expenses incurred over here by my family and myself.