Why e-commerce careers are among the premier choice for tertiary students

Other preferred industries include education and banking.

A career in e-commerce is now amongst what Gen-Z students are seriously considering for the future, an annual survey conducted by Universum revealed.

According to the findings, students began considering e-commerce as a viable option for job prospects when it saw an extraordinary amount of growth in the past year despite the pandemic.

The industry rose 7.4% to 33.5% to place as the second most preferred industry for Business/Commerce students.

E-commerce giant Shopee saw a significant boost in rankings amongst Business/Commerce students, moving up 31 spots to land in 7th place. Shopee was also one of the top 10 most attractive employers for students in the IT field, moving up three spots from 2020 to land in 5th place.

Shopee was also named as the employer with the most attractive recruitment activities on campus and most engaging content on social media for both the Business/Commerce and Engineering/Natural Sciences students.

Meanwhile, 65% of students surveyed expressed an interest in remote working opportunities. Given the unprecedented challenges brought by Covid-19 pandemic, the vast majority of students are open to flexible work options and remote working conditions.

49% of students noted the possible isolation from co-workers and reduced social interactions as one of their key concerns. 42% stated a possible employer bias for in-person workers and reduced earning potential came in as the third most worrying factor.

“This year’s survey results are a reflection of the mindsets of the students during the height of the first wave of COVID-19. Despite the global pandemic, Singapore’s future workforce is still pursuing their dreams to the best of their abilities, however many of their priorities and expectations have evolved. This year’s study suggests that employers will need to find a balance between offering attractive remote working options but without creating too much anxiety through isolating young talent in the early years of their career,” said Mike Parsons, managing director of APAC Universum.

Universum surveyed over 10,000 students from the six major universities in Singapore, namely the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) between October 2020 to March 2021. Majority of the respondents are from 20 to 23 years old. The research focused on students’ views on career preferences, expectations and employment related drivers.