Singapore’s young workers cling to side hustles to survive the AI age: ‘it’s exhausting’

AdvertisementSingaporeAsiaSoutheast AsiaSingapore’s young workers cling to side hustles to survive the AI age: ‘it’s exhausting’Almost one-third of the city state’s workers say they need to combine a full-time job with another source of income3-MIN READ3-MINBloombergPublished: 11:02am, 25 Jul 2026By day, Adele Lee juggles schedules and administrative work as a personal assistant to a senior director at a financial advisory firm.Three evenings a week, the 32-year-old logs back on, this time to sell second-hand clothes through TikTok livestreams, fielding questions from viewers and packing orders herself after the broadcast ends.The side hustle brings in about S$500 (US$390) a month, supplementing her monthly salary of almost S$4,000.

The extra cash helps pay for her insurance premiums and dog’s expenses.“It feels good to have money coming in so I don’t have to worry about ‘Oh, I need to pay my bills’,” Lee said. It’s a “safety net” as living costs rise.

While Singapore’s economy has remained resilient – gross domestic product grew 5.7 per cent in the second quarter and Thursday’s June inflation print was weaker than forecast – strong headline indicators have done little to dispel anxiety among its young workers.Young attendees shield themselves from the sun at last month’s Pink Dot SG pride event in Singapore.

Photo: EPAThe city state’s economy is largely centred around exactly the kind of employment artificial intelligence is beginning to transform. With such a heavy reliance on finance, wealth and other white-collar jobs, Singaporeans entering the workforce increasingly wonder what the embrace of AI means for them. Families’ strong historic emphasis on academic achievement and professional credentials is only heightening that pressure.

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