The Hidden Cost of Job Stability: Why Singapore's Public Servants Stay Put

The Hidden Cost of Job Stability: Why Singapore's Public Servants Stay Put

Top image: Nicholas Chang / RICE file photo For six years, a scholarship bond bound Alan* to the civil service. It was supposed to be a golden ticket—stability, prestige, and financial security. But as the years passed, it began to feel more like a cage. Leaving wasn’t impossible. It was just expensive. To break his bond, he had to repay thousands of dollars—a brutal price for freedom. But when the final months ticked by, an unexpected thought u…