Retrenched in their 50s: The long road back to work for older workers
Older workers are taking longer to bounce back after being retrenched. Three of them tell CNA what it took to get back into the workforce.
Retrenched in their 50s: The long road back to work for older workers
Three Singaporeans in their 50s share their experiences of unemployment after being retrenched. Francis Lee, a 59-year-old director, found himself without a job after his company underwent restructuring. Despite having savings and a "golden handshake", Mr Lee could not afford to retire at this stage of his life and wanted to stay active.
He spent months applying for jobs and taking courses in artificial intelligence, but only received one interview and no offers. Eventually, he began offering his consulting services to businesses and set up his own consultancy, APAC Edge.
Rahmat Mohamad, a 53-year-old creative production manager, was laid off from his job in December 2024. He took courses in desktop support engineering and data science using SkillsFuture funding, but despite 400 applications, he received no interviews. It was only through a referral that he returned to work in a lower-paying logistics role after more than a year of being retrenched.
Both men emphasized the importance of staying positive and continuously upgrading skills to navigate the challenges of re-entering the workforce.
Written by urgent.news from CNA - Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Retrenched in their 50s: The long road back to work for older workers channelnewsasia.com
