SINGAPORE: A 42-year-old recruiter, Ms Shulin Lee, has come under heavy fire online after comments she made during CNA’s Deep Dive podcast rubbed many Singaporeans the wrong way.

In the interview, she claimed that some companies she has worked with “are letting go of Singaporeans in favour of hiring people in Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, not because they’re necessarily more skilled, but because they are a lot hungrier.”

Unsurprisingly, her use of the word “hungry” quickly became the focus of criticism.

Across social media, many users slammed the remarks as “tone deaf,” “insensitive,” and overly dismissive of the struggles local workers already face. Some felt the comments painted Singaporeans as lazy or entitled, simply because they are no longer willing to tolerate endless overtime, constant stress, and stagnant pay without questioning it.

Others argued that refusing to work punishing hours for lower salaries does not make someone “less hungry.” If anything, they said, it just means workers today know their worth and are less willing to romanticise burnout in the name of loyalty.

In a separate Reddit post, another Singaporean shared their own take after watching clips of the interview. Rather than agreeing that locals are becoming less driven, the user argued that Singaporeans “aren’t less hungry” but “simply tired.”

According to the post, many people grew up watching their parents work themselves to the bone, staying in the office until late at night, sacrificing family time, health, and personal happiness, only to end up retrenched anyway, despite years of loyalty.

They added that when younger workers today ask for things like work-life balance, fair pay, or reasonable boundaries, they are suddenly labelled “not hungry,” as though wanting a life outside work automatically means lacking ambition.

“Is Singapore really becoming ‘less hungry?’” They added. “Or are people finally rejecting burnout culture?”

“What makes her think that we Singaporeans are not hungry?”

In the discussion thread, one Redditor responded: “I just think it’s because we’re not in survival mode or we don’t wish to be in that mode anymore—and! that’s!! Okay!!!”

Another commented, “Less hungry is such a stupid take, man. Less hungry compared to who/what? Less hungry compared to foreign talents (FT)? The same FT doing the same role can buy bungalows, land, and cars back in their home country. We can barely afford a BTO/resale.”

A third added, “Honestly, I feel that the comment she made is like an insult to us Singaporeans. Don’t you think so? What makes her think that we Singaporeans are not hungry? She thought we all stay in Singapore for free?”

“All of us have monthly bills to pay, we all still need to work and put food for the family on the table, so that we all can survive.”

Read also: Singaporeans returning after 10+ years overseas share biggest reverse culture shocks: ‘MRT used to be empty at 3pm, now it’s always crowded’

This article (‘Singaporeans aren’t less ‘hungry’… maybe we’re just tired’: Reddit user says Singaporeans are growing tired of burnout culture) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.