Not all about play

Computer gaming accessories company, Razer, a favourite employer with Gen Y because its 'fun' work culture allows them to de-stress on pinball machines and the pool table, says its 20-something employees have shown that they are not all about play. About 60 per cent of its 80 staff are under 30 years of age.

When it comes to crunch time, Razer's chief operating officer Soh Yeow Teh noted that his young employees buckle down to work. 'Don't be surprised when you see them stay long after hours just to get things done.'

Indeed, with their resourcefulness and energy, Gen Y workers are proving to be a boon to firms struggling to cut costs and stay afloat in these lean times.

Mr Augustine Sim, 44, who owns a company that sells handicrafts to the Middle East, said he has particularly benefited from Gen Y's technology skills.

'Business has been slow so I enquired about setting up a website. It would have cost me over $10,000 which I don't have.

'Fortunately, two of my young workers offered to do it for me for free. All I had to do was organise a night out for them at Clarke Quay, and pay for food and drinks.'

Gen Y hires are also good value, in that they can juggle multiple portfolios, travel at the drop of a hat and do not mind venturing to new markets to scour for new business.

Said Mr Aaron Lim, 48, who recently started an education business: 'One of my new hires, a business graduate, can set up websites and do marketing and sales. And he is willing to travel to the depths of China or inner Mongolia to look out for new student markets.

'Although times are bad, I am hanging on to him.'

As bosses like Mr Lim indicate, another plus for Gen Y hires is that once they get a job they are more able to hang on to it.

Their skills and the fact that they cost less than older workers means they are more value for money. MOM data shows they account for only 9.2 per cent of those retrenched in the third quarter of last year. Those in the 40s accounted for 37.1 per cent.

But for those out there still on the hunt for jobs, the going has been tough. Many like Ms Teo Wan Choo, 21, a Nanyang Technological University accountancy student, who will complete her course in April, have yet to land a job. Ms Teo is now considering teaching as a Plan B.

'I always thought of giving teaching a shot but later on after a few years in the private sector after I made some good money. But now it looks like I may have to go into teaching direct if nothing else comes along.'

But what happens if despite lowering their expectations they are unable to find a job? The irrepressible Gen Y has many ideas.

Two out of eight youngsters interviewed said they will set up online shops selling accessories such as second-hand handbags and hand-made jewellery.

Some like Ms Claudia Lim, 27, have already plunged into setting up their own businesses. Ms Lim set up a social media consultancy firm, 24seven, to help businesses market themselves through blogs and websites.

'I don't see a downturn, just more opportunities,' says the technology-savvy Ms Lim who holds a business diploma from the poly and a teaching diploma from the National Institute of Education.

Polytechnic business graduate Rosie De Cruz, 20, who has taken a shiatsu massage course at a beauty and spa academy here plans to offer elderly people home massages for $80 an hour.

Ms Liew-Chng is optimistic that such flexibility will help Gen Y ride out the recession better than their predecessors.

However, not all employers agree that their young hires have come to terms with today's harsh market conditions.

Mr Desmond De Costa, 50, who runs a food catering service, rants: 'I had a couple of 22-year-olds quitting on me, because I did not give them the Saturday and Sunday off for them to attend the rave party Zouk Out last month.

'They don't seem to care about holding on to their jobs in these hard times. They need this recession to grow up.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 03, 2009.