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http://www.straitstimes.com/News/Home/Story/STIStory_521669.html
It has been a rocky time for Ms Ophelia Lim. She got a job, then
was told to go on no-pay leave. So she went into business with a
friend, but lost $20,000 when that venture failed. Then, she got
ano- ther job but quit after three weeks.
In late 2008, she was laid off from her job as a fashion
merchandiser when her company shrank its operations. She had been
there for three years and was earning about $3,000 a month.
When she was featured in The Sunday Times in February last year,
she had been jobless for three months. Within a month, she was
hired as a merchandiser by a fashion house. The job sounded
promising. She would help the company develop its business at its
factory in China while based in Singapore, and could try her hand
at fashion design. Her pay was about $2,500.
But barely one month into the job, her employer told her to go
on no-pay leave for six months. She took it as a cue to leave.
'I think it ran into some financial problems but I didn't call
them to ask. There was no point because I had been working for only
a few weeks,' said Ms Lim, 38.
Then came her lowest point - in September last year. She went
into business with a friend and lost $20,000. They had set up a
shop selling potato salad and sushi in Bishan. But within three
months, the business folded when her partner pulled out
suddenly.
'I was having so many sleepless nights. I didn't have a job at
that time and all the money was just going down the drain.'
She resumed her job search, but did not hear from most of the
companies she sent her resume to.
In February this year, she was hired by a firm to sell
electronic components. But she quit after three weeks as 'it was
too manly and too technical for me. I couldn't see myself doing it
for long'.
The financial instability meant that her family had to cut back
on extras. The divorcee lives with her three sons - aged 16, 11 and
10 - and her mother in a four-room flat in Toh Guan.
They cooked and stayed home during weekends. They also had to
forgo celebrating special occasions like birthdays. 'There's no
extra to buy presents, just a cake,' she said.
But things are looking up. Last month, she found a job as a
merchandiser at shoe chain Chocolate Schu Bar through a newspaper
advertisement.
She has
taken a 20 per cent pay cut from her original fashion merchandising
job, but she is not complaining. She says she is in a better state
than many of her former colleagues in the fashion merchandising
business, who are still jobless or taking low
salaries.
'I'm lucky because the difference is just a few hundred
dollars,' she said of her salary now.
Having survived the recession, Ms Lim, who has A-level
qualifications, said the biggest lesson she has learnt is the
importance of saving for a rainy day.
'It really hit me hard,' she said. 'My savings ran out within a
few months. So now, even though I'm earning less, I make sure I
save at least $50 a month.'
http://www.straitstimes.com/News/Home/Story/STIStory_521667.html
He had worked in a telecommunications company for more than 20
years and was a senior manager.
When his firm went through restructuring in late 2008, Mr Thomas
Tay found himself jobless for the first time in his life.
The first two months were tough. 'I felt very restless. When I
woke up in the morning, my body would still be getting ready to go
to work,' said the 48-year-old.
Mr Tay, who has a master's degree in business (strategic
marketing) from Curtin University of Technology in Australia, had
hoped to find a job as a sales learning and development manager or
project manager. But response to his resume was weak.
Still, he saw the bright side of things. For one thing, he found
time to pick up hobbies like cycling and reading, and could spend
more time with his family. 'After working for so many years, you
find that, hey, a break is not that bad.'
It helped that his company had given him a fair remuneration
package and he had savings.
He also made some changes to his lifestyle. 'We ate out less. We
didn't go for our year-end holiday, but it was mainly because of my
daughter's school activities.'
He is married with a 16-year-old daughter. His wife, a former
teacher, is a housewife and they live in Yio Chu Kang.
In April last year, he thought he was close to securing a senior
management position at a telecommunications firm. But after five
rounds of interviews, he did not get the job.
'In the end, they just said the company had a change of plan;
that's it, full stop.'
What kept him going was the support he received from his wife
and daughter. 'They told me to just trust God for the job,' said
the Christian.
In November, 11 months after he had lost his job, he was hired
as a director of sales and business operations at a market research
company. It came about through a friend's recommendation.
He is happy where he is now. 'It took some time to adjust to the
culture... but I'm the type who likes to grow with the company. Job
hopping just makes you unstable.'
He took
a pay cut, but hopes his company will give him a raise in the next
few months since the economy has picked up.
He has
friends who were laid off and have also found jobs in recent
months. But he said he is not feeling the effects of the economic
recovery yet.
'Some
sectors are doing very well but not all. I know of some companies
which are still going through restructuring and people who lost
jobs.'
If a financial crisis hits again, he will be more prepared.
In fact, friends who have lost their jobs have been going to him
for advice. 'I tell them to stay positive and not to let their
anxiety get to them... You will age faster,' he quipped.
'When the dust settles, you learn to accept it... You will get a
job. It's just a matter of when.'
Why are Singaporeans
taking a lower pay salary even when the economy is supposedly
getting better.
WHY?
