Out of job, but game for new challenges: 4 Singaporeans share how they cope in pandemic economy 

These Singaporeans meet adversity head on despite suffering job and income losses due to Covid-19

“When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming.” This reel-life premise amnesiac fish Dory made in the award-winning 2003 animated movie Finding Nemo probably reflects the attitude jobseekers are adopting when the odds are stacked against them.

With Singapore sinking into its worst recession since independence, more job losses are expected in the coming months. And as the number of job vacancies shrink, a growing number of Singaporeans will find themselves out of a job for six months and longer. 

But there is help for those feeling weighed down by long-term unemployment. By reaching out to initiatives offered by Workforce Singapore (WSG), you will not be facing this challenging period alone. 

These include upskilling programmes and on-the-job training opportunities aimed at PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) and mid-careerists, career counselling services, as well as job fairs and free virtual workshops. 

Combined with a positive and adaptable mindset, it is possible for jobseekers to overcome the challenges of long-term employment. This final article in a four-part series by WSG features four Singaporeans who have met adversity head on — only to emerge stronger and ready to ride this difficult period out.

Diversifying skills has helped him stay afloat during storms

Former sales engineer Tommy Ho is no stranger to changing tides since becoming self-employed in 2003. In the years that followed, he worked on freelance engineering projects and started a venture customising and delivering gifts.

Eventually, as the demand for personalised gifts subsided in 2009, the tenacious father of two sought an alternative source of income by launching a car polishing service. 

“I have always loved seeing the look of freshly polished cars, so I started a small car polishing business that year. Over time, I have received positive feedback from my customers and friends as I am committed to polishing the vehicles by hand,” he shares.

Besides his passion for polished cars, the 51-year-old is a self-taught musician who plays the guitar, bass and drums. He later tapped on this interest by teaching music to children and adult beginners in 2017. 

However, the onslaught of Covid-19 has affected his side business and car polishing gigs. To supplement his income, Mr Ho decided to pivot from a gift-delivering business to offering courier services. He also started selling face masks on the side.

“It is not a smooth-riding journey when you are self-employed. You have to be ready to deal with the challenge when the storm comes. Diversifying my skills to stay afloat has helped me a lot,” he adds.

Mr Ho has also indicated that he is open to speaking with a career coach about returning to a full-time engineering job, should there be little change to the volatile environment in the future. He says: “I would like to ask them if companies are still willing to employ me as a full-time staff at age 65.”

Keeping an open mind serves entrepreneur well

Entrepreneur Wong Chan Meng has worn many hats throughout his career, the latest being a developer of a quality face mask holder. From establishing events management company DGFX Studio to setting up Xenium, a corporate gifts manufacturer, the 48-year-old is an intrepid businessman who has managed to reshape his business ventures to adapt to changing times.

“In my early days with DGFX, I have been a mascot and storyteller, and have even taught kids to draw as part of our events line-up,” he says. He always believes that one must be adaptable in order to ride out any difficulty.

 Singapore’s circuit-breaker restrictions may have dealt a heavy blow to the local events industry, but Mr Wong saw the Covid-19 crisis as a chance to fast-track DGFX’s plan to offer digital events services. 

He explains: “We have done a couple of webinars and will be doing more in the future. Fortunately, these plans were already in the pipeline and when Covid-19 happened, we have already started making plans to go digital.”

Mr Wong also developed an innovative mask holder when he noticed that mask holders in the market were not well designed. This inspired the creation of Pro Shield, a compact and reusable case that he created to keep out dust and water.

“Covid-19 has opened new opportunities for our team as it has pushed us to be more progressive. With change, we have to be more observant and understand how the market works, and also do thorough research before embarking on something new,”

Freelance tour guide turns baking hobby into income source

When the pandemic caused her assignments to come to a standstill earlier this year, veteran tour guide Josephine Wee, 50, transformed her baking hobby into a mini enterprise. 

The mother of two teenage boys turned to social media and online platforms to reach out to a wider audience, thanks to an e-commerce course she took via NTUC LearningHub in March. “I started my own website and used Google analytics to track the demographics of my customers — which were made up predominantly of younger people. This then led me to promote my enterprise on Instagram,” she shares.

This kickstarted a demand for Ms Wee’s Basque burnt cheesecakes which caught the attention of a journalist from The Straits Times. The story, which was published in September, propelled her business and drove traffic to her website Jobakesgreat.

She and her husband are self-employed, and their freelance assignments have dried up because of the economic downturn. 

While Ms Wee says she still misses her former job as a tour guide, she is turning her attention to being a full-time home baker — for now. She is also considering consulting a career coach on turning her baking venture into a full-fledged business. 

“But to be honest, I’m taking things one day at a time as we don’t know how long this pandemic will last. I am very grateful for all the support I’ve been getting from everyone,” she says.

She saw Covid-19 as an opportunity to start her own company

When faced with uncertainty, many of us would naturally choose safe passage — but not Ms Jacp Fong. The 42-year-old media veteran decided to resign from her position as sales director with an online publishing platform two months ago to launch her own digital content marketing agency, Gallus Marketing.

“Because of Covid-19, more companies are outsourcing their marketing needs due to a budget crunch. I decided there was an opportunity to fill this gap,” she explains. 

Armed with a strong network in the industry, she tapped onto her contacts for leads and has recently secured a few clients since helming Gallus Marketing in August. 

“The recessive market was affecting my career goals but instead of dwelling on it, I wanted to take control of the situation by starting my own business. You can call me naive, but I’m positive I have plenty of experience and skills to offer,” says Ms Fong earnestly. 

Establishing her company is not the only goal on her agenda. Ms Fong has also signed up for a year-long Digital Marketing and Applied Management course under the SG United Skills Programme and SkillsFuture — a move she says has helped her tremendously. 

“I have a high interest in digital marketing and am always on the lookout for something new. I wanted to deepen my knowledge through industry veterans conducting these courses,” she says.

As for those who have had their careers and self-confidence affected by the pandemic, Ms Fong has some simple advice: “Never be afraid to talk to people you trust about your concerns and surround yourself with those who have similar goals.”