“Are employers actually hiring or just putting out job ads for the sake of it?” — Singaporean who can’t get hired for months asks

SINGAPORE: A retrenched Singaporean recently took to an online forum to ask others how to cope with unemployment.

“I’m interested to know how the retrenched/unemployed people in SG cope while looking for a job that’s in line with your career? Part time jobs?” he asked on r/askSingapore.

In his post, he shared that he got retrenched in November and only landed a 4-month contractual job shortly after.

However, since his contract ended in March, the Singaporean expressed that he’s been having difficulty securing a permanent position. He said he hasn’t secured any interviews he’s had a few interviewers and recruiters approaching him. 

This led him to question if the job ads were even legit. He said, “I’m confident in my resume and see myself as a good candidate but something feels off. Are employers actually hiring or putting out job ads for the sake of it?”

“Unfortunately it is very much an employers’ market out there.”

In the comments section, a few Redditors mentioned how tough it is to find a job right now, especially with so many recent grads from polytechnics and universities entering the market. 

They then recommended that he explore part-time employment opportunities such as working for food delivery services like Grabfood, take on occasional event-related jobs, or any part-time gigs that won’t take up too much of his time. 

This way, he could still focus on finding a job and make time for the interviews.

One netizen said, “Unfortunately it is very much an employers’ market out there.

I’ve been for countless interviews for almost a year now and application processes have gotten longer and HR/recruiters take a longer time to get back to you just because they really have the pick of the crop. 

It’s unfortunately a numbers game at this point for them, a bit like a dating app where you have the ability to wait for someone ‘hotter’ because you’re that good-looking.”

Others, meanwhile, suggested that he cut down on unnecessary costs. One netizen who recently went through a period of unemployment shared some money-saving tips.

She suggested that the Singaporean could cook his meals at home, keep fit through simple activities like walking or availing of cheap gym memberships, and work towards being healthier and more positive.

She also brought up the idea of studying or learning new skills since the job scene is competitive. 

She added, “Also start to consider those jobs you never considered before like SME etc etc. I know many who are jobless for more than 6 months. They are also skilled professionals like accountant and contract bank compliance roles.”

Another netizen commented, “My friends who were retrenched, we kept ourselves happy by going on holiday and meeting each other for coffee and lunch while waiting for recruiters to call. But of course we have savings and investments.

We also do lots of certificates and training.”

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