Youth worry about jobs, costs and missing out; David Neo says new plan aims to address concerns

SINGAPORE – Youth today worry about the rising cost of living, fear missing out on opportunities amid technological disruption, and feel under constant scrutiny on social media.

These are some challenges Singaporean youth face, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo said as he outlined measures under a new plan to address their concerns.

Youth aged 15 to 35 make up roughly a quarter of Singapore’s population. Over the next five years, the SG Youth Plan aims to reach at least 500,000 of them through more than 20 initiatives in areas like careers and relationships.

“The Youth Plan is a concrete plan of action, a way in which we acknowledge all that we have heard from our youth about their anxieties, about their hopes, their dreams,” Neo said in an interview on July 20 at *Scape, ahead of the plan’s launch on July 25.

This comes amid mounting uncertainty among young people in Singapore, including concerns about unemployment and finding jobs among fresh graduates.

One new initiative is job tasters for youth to try different jobs through short stints of half a day to a few weeks. Up to 30,000 such opportunities will be available annually by 2030.

Neo described the employment challenge as one of mismatched demand rather than a shortage of jobs. There are “enough roles for everybody”, he said, but not all are equally appealing to youth.

He encouraged them to be open to new areas via the job tasters. “It may be a role in an industry that perhaps you didn’t quite think of taking up before, but you can actually use that taster to get a feel of it… and then see whether that works well for you or not.”

Neo was promoted to full minister in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), and Second Minister in the Education Ministry, in a Cabinet reshuffle announced on July 22. The changes take effect from July 27.

He said he had joined many engagements that shaped the plan. MCCY and the National Youth Council engaged over 60,000 youth between November 2024 and March 2026.

What struck him most, said Neo, was their desire for deeper meaning and purpose.

“They also want to redefine success on their own terms, and also (have) this desire to explore, to try different things,” said Neo, adding that the job taster initiative was developed in response to this feedback.

But some may need more help. Another initiative – curiosity credits worth $500 – aims to encourage youth to pick up new skills or pursue personal interests. Neo said some had told him the scheme was “too open” because they preferred more guidance on what to learn.

About encouraging curiosity, Neo said: “I think this is something that we just have to slowly nudge over time, so that our youth feel more confident in going out there to explore their different interests.”

The curiosity credits are for those supported by self-help groups such as the Chinese Development Assistance Council, Mendaki and Singapore Indian Development Association, but Neo said the initiative can be expanded if it works well.

‘Cannot be a top-down approach’

Asked if he was concerned the SG Youth Plan could be seen as too top-down, Neo said it was intentionally curated with young Singaporeans.

For parts which may not resonate with youth, the Government has to be “prepared to shift and to adjust and to bring on board more things that work well with the youth”, he added.

“It is something that we have to constantly evolve… so that it answers to what the youth need. There cannot be a top-down approach in the community,” he said.

One initiative is the creation of 12 new “third spaces” – places outside school and work to encourage social interaction among youth. Four of them are housed in Residents’ Networks and a community club, while the rest are run by organisations supporting youth.

Asked whether youth would be drawn to such spaces, Neo said the Government had approached organisations with a proven track record of engaging young people, and will monitor which types of spaces resonate with people, he added.

The private sector is contributing too.

Under an independent living initiative, two private co-living operators will offer over 100 subsidised units for rent for young adults aged 21 to 35.

Neo said the idea is not intended to tackle housing or supply issues faced by young Singaporeans. Rather, it is meant to meet youth’s desire to live independently.

“I don’t think it is meant to replace any of the government programmes or to supply even more (housing options),” he said, adding that the Housing Board was not involved in developing this initiative.

Addressing questions about his work at MCCY, Neo said his ministry’s portfolio is “extremely wide-ranging”, covering the arts, heritage, youth and sports.

Across these sectors, there are many passionate people who want to grow their audiences and gain wider recognition, he noted, adding that his ministry’s work is to support these aspirations.

It has been just over a year since Neo entered politics as part of the PAP’s Tampines GRC team in the May 2025 General Election. The former chief of army took over at MCCY shortly after.

Asked whether it had been challenging to understand the sectors’ issues, Neo said understanding starts with listening.

“It is all about spending time with the people to make sure that you are able to understand and see how they experience policies,” he said.

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