HARD WORK FOR LIFE: WORK, LIFE, AND INEQUALITIES OF THE LOCAL WORKING CLASS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This research investigates the work and life of the local working class in Singapore, and in turn, what it reveals about Singapore’s pursuit of progress. This research is based on ethnographic fieldwork extending over a year, which includes working in a meat processing plant for over four months, participation observation, and in-depth interviews. I unpack the hierarchical structures and inequalities in the workplace and society that govern the workers’ everyday life and life trajectories. They endure a lifetime of punishing labour conditions, struggles, and sacrifices to pursue a ‘simple life’, a life within their means, aspiring towards self-reliance and thereby embodying the meritocratic core of Singapore. Yet, the working class continuously experience marginalisation and remain locked in an inclined treadmill – always moving but stuck in place, or risk falling off. This reflects the state of progress in Singapore; as Singapore’s economy grows, it remains stuck with unhealthy levels of inequality.