Can Public Service Motivation, Perception, Gender and Internship Experience Affect Public Sector Job Choice Amongst Undergraduate Students in Singapore?

Abstract

This paper investigates the inclination 820 undergraduates from the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University have towards public sector jobs in Singapore. In addition, the effect that gender, internship experience, perception of the organizational culture of the civil service, and public service motivation has on public sector job choice will be delved into.

This paper provides empirical evidence that internship experience in the public sector can neutralize the extreme masculine perceptions college students have about the public sector. College students who had masculine perceptions of the public sector were less likely to pursue jobs in the public sector. While gender was not found to be a significant variable in explaining public service motivation in this context, Perry?s public service motivation theory, that those with higher public service motivation are more likely to join public organizations was found to be true. Overall, positive internship experiences were found to have an indirect effect on public sector job choice because of its potential in neutralizing extreme masculine perceptions of the civil service.