Singapore employers turning to Tik Tok to recruit staff

Firms say video-sharing platform allows them to connect with Gen Z talent

- Kolette Lim

TikTok’s algorithm steers Ms Eva Daneesyah to food recommendations, travel vlogs and the occasional stand-up comedy clip. So a May 2023 job advertisement by an ice-cream shop stood out to the 23-year-old Singaporean.

In a 42-second-long clip, a worker wearing a mask and a pair of pink-framed sunglasses cleans tables, scoops ice cream and takes out the trash. After each task, he turns to look at the camera comically. “Who said working couldn’t be fun? Join the laughter at Three’s A Crowd Cafe!” the post’s caption reads.

Ms Daneesyah, who graduated from Perth’s Murdoch University in February, applied for a service crew position immediately – via the link listed on the cafe’s TikTok profile.

The “silly, welcoming and quirky” video was what compelled her to apply for the job without much thought, she told The Straits Times. “All I knew was that working in a cafe was a field I wanted to explore and the clip already established for me that the cafe’s staff were a welcoming crowd.”

Like the dessert chain, many companies across various industries, such as hospitality and technology, have started to advertise job openings on the video-sharing platform.

Using hashtags such as #singaporejobs and #sghiring, these videos typically list the benefits of roles advertised, such as a fun and young working environment or flexible working hours.

Some clips are fronted by the employees themselves. They might take viewers on a tour of the office or give a play-by-play account of their daily work routine as timeframes flash across the screen: “12.30pm: Lunch at Lau Pa Sat!”

Companies told ST that the video-sharing platform allows them to reach a younger audience, namely Gen Zs.