SINGAPORE: A Singaporean worker is questioning what protections locals really have after he and most of the Singaporeans in his team were recently laid off.

In a post on the r/asksg forum on Wednesday (May 20), the employee said he had been working at a big tech company since graduating about five years ago and was assigned to one of the backend teams, which, according to him, was made up of “half local, half foreigner from you know what country.”

Like many people his age, he said he genuinely believed he was set for life. After all, he had followed what society told him to do, which was to study hard, do things well, keep his head down, and deliver results.

However, after being blindsided by the layoff news, he admitted he no longer knows what to believe.

“I don’t know what to feel anymore,” he said. “What bothers me most is looking around my team and realising that almost every Singaporean on my side got cut.”

“Some of us were fresh grads who spent years building our careers here. One colleague literally just started a family and recently committed to a BTO. Another was supporting ageing parents. We are just normal Singaporeans trying to build stable lives here.”

Feeling somewhat betrayed by the system, he asked: “What exactly is the Singaporean worker being protected for? They promised us that we would be protected; that’s how they get votes. But is that what is really happening?”

“And before anyone says ‘just upskill’, many of us already did everything right. Good schools, good internships, long hours. I don’t know what the answer is anymore, but I know a lot more locals are feeling this quietly than people realise.”

“It’s not something new, especially in the current market”

In the comments, one Singaporean Redditor said situations like this are exactly why more locals have become “cynical” about the supposed path to success.

“Locals are told to study hard, upskill, serve NS, buy BTO, support parents, and trust the system. Then, when layoffs come, they suddenly discover the company’s loyalty is to cost, headcount politics, and global manpower flexibility. No need to blame individual foreigners. The real anger should be at the policy and corporate structure that lets companies take Singapore’s benefits while treating Singaporeans as optional.”

Another stated, “The writing was on the wall for the past few years. Many tech jobs here will likely be gone in a decade.”

A third Redditor shared a similar view, saying, “Sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, AI is coming for lots of jobs that were previously immune to layoffs, especially in tech and other white-collar functions such as finance, legal, analytics, etc.” 

They added, “As to why an employer would selectively terminate Singaporeans and spare the others baffles me, especially a big tech company that is very careful in ensuring it does not violate any laws, DEI, or other parameters. If you see a pattern, then it may be worth notifying the authorities.”

Not everyone in the discussion, however, sympathised with the original poster’s frustration.

Some commenters urged him not to dwell too much on the retrenchment.

One said, “Everyone gets laid off at least once in their life, everyone. Only those super lucky people never face it. This is a fact of life. You can do everything right and still get laid off. I would advise you to get your head on straight and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You will go down dark roads that will be very difficult to recover from.”

Another wrote, “Getting laid off the first time, you would feel angry and resentful. But do note that it’s not something new, especially in the current market. I came across a person who got laid off three times in a row. These are uncontrollable circumstances, so don’t harp on it. Move on to something new and hopefully better.”

In other news, a Singaporean woman shared on social media that she ended up creating a detailed 3D sunlight simulation of her future home after her family and friends became unusually concerned about how much sunlight the unit would receive throughout the day.

Posting on Reddit’s AskSingapore forum on Friday (May 15), the woman said that after she and her partner secured a unit, people around them began asking highly specific questions about its lighting conditions, such as how many hours of sunlight the flat would get, which rooms would receive the strongest natural light, what time the sun would hit certain areas of the home, and even which exact direction the unit was facing.

Read more: ‘How much sun will the flat get?’ — Singaporean goes as far as creating a 3D simulation after repeated questioning about future home

This article (Singapore worker says layoffs left him questioning the promise of stability for locals) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Meta’s latest round of job cuts arrived even before sunrise in Singapore. Employees at the social media giant woke up on Wednesday (May 20) to emails sent around 4 am local time informing them their roles had been cut, as the company began laying off around 8,000 workers globally while reshaping itself around artificial intelligence (AI).

According to Bloomberg, staff in other regions were scheduled to receive notifications in their own morning hours. The job cuts affect roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s workforce and mainly target engineering and product teams. Staff were also encouraged to work from home during the process. At the same time, thousands of employees are being moved into newly created AI-focused teams.

Meta reassigned about 7,000 employees to AI projects just days before the layoffs in other job roles

This is not to say that Meta is tightening its belt because its business is weak. On the contrary, the company remains highly profitable, and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has made AI its top priority.

Meta has committed up to US$145 billion (S$186 billion) in capital spending this year, much of it tied to AI infrastructure and development, and just days before the layoffs began, Meta reassigned about 7,000 employees into AI projects covering products and AI agents.

In an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg, Meta’s Chief People Officer Janelle Gale said the company wants flatter structures and smaller working groups that move faster and carry greater ownership.

For staff receiving their work termination emails before dawn, however, the experience likely felt far less efficient and polished than that shocking memo.

Employees pushed back over how AI-related projects are changing work culture

Meta’s redirection mirrors a trend spreading across the tech sector, with companies once hiring aggressively to build products now reorganising around how AI is changing workflows, team sizes and spending priorities. Meta is far from alone, but its scale makes the transition hard to ignore.

Some employees have already pushed back internally over how AI-related projects are changing work culture, as reports indicate that staff raised concerns about company plans involving employee device activity and data collection, including their keyboard strokes, movement of their mouse and what content is displayed on their screen, tied to AI training efforts, while others voiced frustration online about morale and uncertainty.

Investors have also questioned whether the spending will pay off, as analysts quoted by Bloomberg estimated the layoffs save roughly US$3 billion (about S$3.8 billion), which remains small compared with Meta’s bigger AI spending plans.

Company performance no longer guarantees workforce stability without AI skills to back it up

Singapore has spent years building itself into a regional technology hub, which makes news like this increasingly local, even when decisions are made elsewhere because global restructuring now arrives instantly through inboxes, time zones and corporate calendars.

The uncomfortable lesson learned from this story is that strong company performance no longer guarantees workforce stability. Businesses are changing how work gets organised, and AI investment is becoming part of that calculation.

The wise and practical way forward is not to fear technology or to assume jobs will vanish overnight due to AI disruptions. Rather, it’s better to focus on upgrading personal skills, work adaptability, and staying close to where value is created to stay safe, as in remaining employed as long as possible.

Read related: Singapore retrenchments 2026: Amazon, Tiger Beer, Yeo’s, and more firms cut jobs amid rising energy costs and weak demand

This article (Meta terminates 8,000 jobs globally, while Singapore staff receive their termination e-mails at 4 AM, as the company moves on with its new AI-focused teams) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Many employees, particularly those working in the tech industry and customer service roles, have been feeling rather anxious after a wave of AI-driven layoffs swept across both major corporations and smaller businesses.

It is no longer just a prediction. It has become a very real threat to people’s livelihoods, and the worst part is that it can happen at any time.

You could head into the office in the morning, go about your day as usual, and by the afternoon find yourself being told that your role is no longer needed.

In some cases, it is even more abrupt, with workers receiving an email first thing in the morning informing them that they are among the thousands being laid off.

With retrenchments becoming more commonplace, many Singaporeans are now bracing themselves for the possibility that they, too, could one day be affected.

In a Reddit discussion, several users shared how they have been preparing for the prospect of being laid off.

The user who started the thread wrote, “Personally, I have 11 months of my take-home salary saved up just in case.”

Another individual shared that fears surrounding layoffs had pushed him to make major lifestyle changes. He sold his car and, together with his wife, decided not to have children.

“Granted I have not been laid off before, but I will say minimising your commitments is the number one thing you should be doing,” he said.

A third user revealed that she has started building multiple sources of income as a safety net.

“I’m doing side hustles at the side now, so if/when the time comes, hopefully I have something to fall back on.”

Meanwhile, another Singaporean said he had essentially gone into full survival mode. According to him, he invests 70 per cent of his salary every month, avoids lifestyle inflation completely, and continues living with his parents to save on rent.

He also shared that concerns over financial stability ultimately affected his relationship, as he chose to remain “single and childfree.”

He said, “We broke up already. Save myself and my parents first. How to think about marriage or kids when your company is doing layoffs nearly every quarter? Being able to support my parents and myself is already an accomplishment. No point hanging on and then [dealing] with the helplessness of [being] unable to provide for 2 sets of elderly parents, AND young kids 2 years down the road.” 

“God forbid all those additional costs, such as car, helper and enrichment classes. Not even life insurance payouts will be enough at that point. Worst part is by then you don’t even have the choice of giving up if you are a responsible adult, as you have your parents and young kids totally dependent on you.. gave up on my BTO but it is what it is..”

Another commenter shared that he had been preparing for nearly a year by actively searching for job opportunities while maintaining a sizeable emergency fund. 

“Been preparing for almost a year now, I keep actively looking for roles and keep an emergency fund, 6 months salary or about 2-3 years expenses runway.”/TISG

Read also: ‘It’s a matter of survival’: Singapore man in his 40s turns to gig work after layoff to pay bills

This article (‘I saved 11 months of salary’: Singaporean workers share how they are bracing for sudden layoffs) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s retrenchment list for 2026 continues to grow and is no longer tied to a single sector. From beer brewing and drinks manufacturing to property and online retail, firms in Singapore are cutting jobs, shrinking teams, or moving parts of their operations elsewhere as costs climb and demand stays uneven.

The pressure is building from several directions at once as energy costs remain elevated, consumer spending has weakened, and uncertainty linked to the war in Iran has made planning harder for businesses.

A recent Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) survey found that 96% of companies said higher energy prices had increased operating costs, Vulcan Post reported (May 13), signalling to workers that even established names are making difficult choices.

Amazon

Even global tech firms are making local changes, with Amazon joining the list in May. The company announced role reductions in Singapore while redirecting its focus to expanding its international store offerings for local shoppers.

As part of the move, Amazon is winding down local fulfilment operations, including Amazon Fresh and its grocery partner network. It said sellers and vendors are being supported through alternative arrangements, a change that comes amid a consumer-led shift in how customers in Singapore shop, with growing interest in products shipped from markets such as the United States, Japan, and Germany.

Yeo’s Yeo Hiap Seng

Yeo Hiap Seng, better known as Yeo’s, also announced retrenchments in March. Twenty-five employees at its Senoko facility were affected as the company moved its can production into Malaysia. Yeo’s said the change allows better use of manufacturing capacity across its network.

Its Senoko location will remain the company’s headquarters and continue to support logistics and selected production functions, following earlier workforce cuts linked to changing buying habits, cost pressures and operational shifts.

Tiger Beer’s Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore

One of the biggest moves came from Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS), the company behind Tiger Beer. In March, APBS announced plans to reduce brewing activity at its Tuas plant and move production to regional sites in Malaysia and Vietnam by the end of 2027. Around 130 jobs are expected to be affected.

The company said the Singapore site will not disappear but shift towards regional logistics, innovation work and a pilot brewery setup. The move follows an earlier restructuring exercise in late 2023.

PropertyLimBrothers

Property agency PropertyLimBrothers entered a period of internal change after leadership issues became public earlier this year. Its media division laid off some staff in April while parts of the business were reorganised.

The company changes came after online speculation involving company leadership gained public attention, which was followed by leadership exits, and the firm later introduced a whistle-blowing channel as part of governance changes.

JLL (Real Estate)

Elsewhere, global real estate consultancy JLL also reduced its headcount in Singapore in April as part of an organisational restructuring.

The company said the changes were tied to long-term positioning as the real estate market adjusts to changing conditions, although it didn’t state how many employees were affected.

Layoffs must be communicated to workers in advance

Usually, layoffs are treated as isolated company news, but this year’s pattern suggests something more far-reaching as manufacturing firms are moving production closer to lower-cost locations.

Property businesses are tightening operations, and large tech firms are reallocating resources rather than pursuing local expansion. Singapore has been through cycles like this before; what stands out now is how many sectors are adjusting simultaneously.

For workers, company restructuring is becoming the norm as businesses reshape themselves amid current economic conditions. Nevertheless, it must be communicated to workers in advance when such major changes are coming.

Staff cannot control market conditions, but better early notice, support, and retraining give people a fairer chance to move forward instead of being caught off guard.

Read related: ‘Who am I without my work?’ — Singapore worker grieves after losing her job and the identity it gave her

This article (Singapore retrenchments 2026: Amazon, Tiger Beer, Yeo’s, and more firms cut jobs amid rising energy costs and weak demand) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A Singapore worker who had nearly a year to prepare for retrenchment still found herself unready when the final day arrived. Her story shows that job loss affects more than just income for some, as they link their career loss to a loss of identity, routine, and a sense of place in society.

She was given 10 months’ notice as her company moved operations overseas. During that time, she trained a replacement team and kept work running. On paper, it looked like a smooth transition, but in reality, it became a slow, drawn-out goodbye, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reports (April 27).

A grief that stayed buried in silence

Instead of processing the loss, she focused on staying productive. Work became her shield. The grief stayed buried.

Colleagues left one by one. The office shrank. By her final day, only two people remained from what was once an 18-member team.

The ending didn’t come with a dramatic send-off. There were no meetings, no speeches. Just a silent return of her laptop and access card. That silence hit harder than expected.

She left the office and cried in a cinema, alone

She tried to stay composed. That image held for months… but then it collapsed in minutes.

A simple exchange with a colleague triggered it. Then another brief conversation. Words became difficult. Emotions surfaced all at once. She left the office and cried in a cinema, alone, during a weekday screening.

From the outside, retrenchment can look clean. Severance is paid. Work ends. Life moves on. But what disappears is harder to measure. It is the daily rhythm. The sense of usefulness. The quiet pride in doing something well.

Her identity had become tied to her job role

Over time, she realised her identity had become tied to her role. For two decades, her value was linked to output and performance. Without that title, there was a void.

She tried to stay busy at first, updating her resume, planning next steps, and filling time, but it didn’t help. The emotional impact came in waves. Some days were productive. Others were slow and heavy.

Friends who had gone through layoffs told her the same thing. The feeling doesn’t vanish overnight.

Mindset shift: Seeking internal value instead of chasing external validation

With space to think, harder questions surfaced. Was she chasing senior roles out of interest, or validation? Would she accept less pay for more time with her family?

These weren’t urgent questions before, but they became painfully unavoidable after her job ended, so she decided to pause job seeking for a few months. Not to delay, but to reset.

That reset led to small mindset changes, such as writing for herself. Spending free time without guilt. Trying new things without a work outcome attached to it.

Eventually, one of those efforts led to a children’s book deal. It then changed how she saw her own value. Different didn’t mean any less.

Giving people more time to prepare doesn’t make retrenchment easier

Layoffs have now become more common across sectors as Singapore’s cost-of-living pressures and restructuring also continue across the region.

The Singaporean worker’s story stands out because it challenges a common belief: that giving people more time to prepare makes retrenchment easier. It certainly doesn’t.

A longer lead-up to ending someone’s career can stretch the emotional strain, delay closure, and keep people stuck in a space between, where they are still working while they’re on their way out. This tension builds silently within.

For many, work isn’t just a job. It is their identity, so when it disappears, people are forced to ask questions they may have avoided for years.

You are more than just your job role

Eight months on, the worker’s grief over the job loss has softened, even though it hasn’t entirely disappeared. She now sees herself as more than just her previous job role: a writer, a parent, a partner, and an individual outside of work.

That change of heart and spirit didn’t come easily. It came through with much emotional and mental discomfort. And that might be the real takeaway: losing a job hurts even when expected. Even when prepared. Ignoring that feeling only delays the inevitable.

A more practical approach is to acknowledge a job loss early. Give yourself time and space to process it. Let it run its course, because a job may end in a day or some day, but the pain and meaning attached to it takes longer to heal and untangle.

Read related: ‘The most useful thing a senior told me at work’ — Workers share the advice that ‘stuck with them until today’

This article (‘Who am I without my work?’ — Singapore worker grieves after losing her job and the identity it gave her) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Getting laid off may have become increasingly normalised in today’s job market, but that does not make the experience any less painful for those affected.

Recently, a Singaporean took to Reddit to open up about how being laid off has deeply affected the way they see themselves.

In their post, they shared that they have been carrying a persistent sense of being “useless,” describing it as a feeling that refuses to go away no matter how hard they try to stay occupied or push forward.

The Singaporean said they have been unemployed for a few months now, and while they have been consistently sending out applications and going for interviews, they still have not managed to land a job.

“An inner voice keeps telling me that the problem is me. That I’m never getting a job because I’m not good enough,” they wrote, adding that it’s been especially tough seeing others around them move on and land new roles. “My partner thinks it’s because their roles are not as niche as mine.”

In an effort to keep themselves grounded, they said they have been trying to build structure into their days. This includes continuing job applications, going to the gym, and shifting towards more intentional, role-specific applications instead of mass applying. They have also been meeting friends and professional contacts over coffee.

“This is what I have done so far, [but] at the end of the day, especially before I sleep, these negative thoughts creep in.”

Realising they had run out of ways to manage things on their own, they eventually reached out to others for advice, asking, “Fellow job hunters, how do you cope?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just insanely hard to get hired now.”

The Singaporean’s post sparked a wave of responses from Reddit users who had also struggled with despair after being laid off.

One said, “I’m in the same boat as you. My job scope is quite niche, and I’ve been jobless due to a company-wide layoff last November. I feel the same despair—mainly because I’ve 2 young kids and a mortgage to pay off.”

“My wife has also quit her job to take care of our 2nd kid while I try to find work. I got a decent severance but the uncertainty in not knowing when I’m getting a new job and my wife quitting makes me worry. I try to distract myself with gym and caring for my daughter during the day while my wife serves her notice.”

Another shared, “I went through the same after getting laid off last year; that voice in your head is a liar. What helped me was treating the job search like a part-time gig and giving myself permission to exist outside work. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just insanely hard to get hired now.”

A third commented, “This happened to me too. Volunteering made me feel like I was contributing something every day and offering myself in service to others. It was a big confidence boost, and I made a lot of friends. I even ended up finding work through one of the connections I made.”

A fourth user added, “Hey bro. I got the same feeling as you before. I tried to keep myself occupied with the SkillsFuture courses while applying for jobs.”

In other news, a woman who has been married for 20 years confessed on social media that her husband has “never contributed financially to the household” and instead spends his money on pets such as “hamster cages, parrots, fish, and dogs.”

In an anonymous post on the NUSWhispers Facebook page, she said she married him “for love” and truly believed they “would build a life together.”

Read more: Singapore mum of three says she paid for the family for 20 years while husband spent on pets

This article (Laid-off Singaporean says he feels ‘useless’ as relentless job search yields no results) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.