Stalled careers, limited earnings: How some young workers are getting stuck in delivery and ride-hailing jobs

13/12/2025 3 Views

THE ‘STICKINESS’ OF PLATFORM WORK

While a short stint in platform work may not be harmful, experts cautioned that the longer one remains, the harder it may become to re-enter traditional employment.

In a Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) study conducted between November 2024 and February 2025 on platform workers’ occupational well-being, participants had cited key concerns about their long-term career prospects, such as “becoming obsolete in the broader workplace”.

Some also reported a decline in their social skills, given the limited nature of social interactions in “task-based” platform work, said the study’s principal investigator Dr Sheryl Chua.

“The connections they form with other platform workers are often superficial due to limited time to interact and engage in meaningful conversation,” said Dr Chua, who is also deputy head of the Public Safety and Security Programme at SUSS.

This goes beyond soft skills such as collaboration, said Dr Ding: “Their professional networks remain almost entirely within the platform, with little exposure to employers or industries they want to transition into.”

NUS’ Dr Seah added that those who have spent extended periods of time in platform work also have less opportunity to build skills and experience sought by traditional employers, making them less attractive employment candidates.

Spending years in delivery work may also be perceived as a “sign of weak labour-market competitiveness or lack of ‘fit’ with office culture”, said Dr Ding, particularly by employers who struggle to interpret workers’ gig experience into conventional terms.

Employers may worry that such candidates lack exposure to teamwork, office systems or project-based work, she added – even if the individual has actually developed strong discipline and resilience through platform work.

The metrics of platform work, such as on-time delivery and cancellation rates, also have limited transferability and are not easily recognised or interpreted by traditional employers, said Dr Ding.

IPS’ Dr Mathews noted that those with relevant skills were generally able to move into areas they were interested in when opportunities arose.

Mr Choo, 31, worked full-time as a delivery rider from 2019 to 2024 while completing his part-time degree in English. After graduating, Mr Choo continued delivering part-time while tutoring the subject. He now tutors full-time, as it offers better returns relative to hours worked.

For those with less formal credentials, however, their options tend to remain more limited.

Delivery rider Ms Azlyiana said: “With three boys (to care for), it’s difficult to commit to a full-time job with fixed hours, (especially if it requires) qualifications or experience that I don’t currently have.”

Between her children and delivery work, she has almost no consistent time left in her weekly schedule for upskilling.

For such individuals, said Dr Mathews, platform work is still preferable because more conventional roles that offer comparable income given their skill sets often involve shift work – a struggle especially for those already shouldering burdens such as caregiving.

Time aside, the physically demanding nature of delivery work also means riders may not have the energy to attend courses outside of work hours, noted SUSS’ Dr Chua.

Mr Asher Goh, a research associate at the NUS Social Service Research Centre, said that the challenge of returning to traditional forms of work becomes more pronounced for those who have spent a longer period in platform work – around five years or more.

He observed that many either do not hear back from employers or face repeated rejections, even when applying for roles in industries they previously worked in.

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