Asian graduates face shattered dreams as coronavirus pandemic ravages economies

Millions of young people across Asia are entering a battered labour market filled with hiring freezes and few new opportunities

But recruiters say this could be the perfect time to learn new skills, take advantage of government initiatives and get valuable experience

Reading Time:5 minutes

Graduates across Asia are entering a coronavirus-battered jobs market. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:00am, 18 May 2020Updated: 1:54pm, 18 May 2020

When ride-hailing company Uber announced plans to lay off employees, Gavin Ng, a Singaporean PhD student at the University of Illinois, braced himself for some bad news.

His worst fears were confirmed when he received a call notifying him that his offer for a full-time job as a data scientist would be rescinded. “It is disappointing, definitely, but I understand that it’s just business – no hard feelings,” he said.

The 29-year-old, who is currently based in the US, has not received any offers since then and his student visa has only complicated matters for him. “I don’t have any offers right now so I’m not really holding out for better offers. My plans are not set for now as I am in kind of a complicated situation with regard to my visa status and my PhD.”

Singaporean PhD student Gavin Ng. Photo: Handout

Ng is one of the millions of young people across Asia and around the world facing shattered dreams as the coronavirus has battered economies, forcing companies to withdraw job offers, freeze hiring, cut salaries and lay people off.

Fresh graduates have even started to use the hashtag #offerrescinded on employment-oriented social network LinkedIn, which jobseekers use to connect with employers, most sharing similar accounts of how their first job offer was withdrawn because of the pandemic.

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