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From car and country club, to career and convenience: Singaporeans' new 5Cs

Singaporean white collar workers are shifting their priorities away from the traditional 5Cs, and placing greater importance of a new set of 5Cs. For employers, this means that although cash is still a top priority, having a good career and a cultured outlook are becoming important to staff.

In particular, Singaporeans have chosen to prioritise intangibles over material ambitions. Although cash is still a top priority (94%), the other four traditional 5Cs, i.e. credit cards (32%), condominiums (33%), a car (30%), and country club memberships (just 3%) are no longer of high importance, according to research commissioned by Tigerhall involving 1,000 white collar workers based in Singapore.

Instead, career has become a priority, according to 85% of respondents, and this was especially observed in Singaporeans in the beginning stages of their career. Further, nine in 10 aged under 29 placed importance on establishing a good career.

A third priority identified was a cultural proficiency (74%), with world travel being one of the ways Millennials hope to achieve this.

Apart from the above, nearly seven in 10 (67%) of respondents believed it was important to for them to have credibility in society and at the workplace, a trend more commonly seen in mid-career respondents.  At the same time, a similar seven in 10 of those aged 30 to 44 felt it was important to command the belief and trust of the people around them.

Rounding up the five current priorities of Singaporean white collar workers today is convenience, gained from the products and services they receive daily, with 54% of respondents placing importance on the factor.


Lead photo / Tigerhall

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