SINGAPORE: A 30-year-old woman who has been unemployed for six months said she has realised just how frustrating and draining joblessness can be.

In a post on a local forum, she wrote that while she still has enough savings to get by for now, the experience has been far more difficult than she expected. 

She said, “Technically, I have a sufficient buffer to tide me through for now. But I’m realising that the psychological erosion of unemployment—the growing sense of worthlessness—is something no amount of savings can prepare you for. I know by right we should not let our job or anything define us, but it is hard.”

She added that this is not her “first time between jobs,” but it is the first time she has struggled to recover emotionally and mentally. In previous transitions, she said she was able to secure roles quickly and even received better offers. 

“In the past, I was able to get back quickly…but this time feels different and dead silent. I thought I was the only one, but I see people around me—both junior and senior—all feeling the same pinch. It feels like the ground is shifting beneath us.”

The woman also shared that she feels caught in what she called a “Goldilocks loop” in the job market. 

She said she is often seen as “overqualified” for junior or mid-level roles, with employers possibly assuming she would be too costly to hire or not “flexible” enough compared to fresh graduates. 

At the same time, she feels underqualified for senior positions that “demand hyper-specialised experience.”

She added that even public service roles, which were once viewed as a stable option, have become much more competitive and difficult to enter. 

“This used to be the seemingly ‘safe’ path, but it has become incredibly demanding and difficult to enter. It’s no longer the ‘dinosaur era’ where a degree and a good attitude were enough,” she said. “I’ve even tried those government support things like career fairs, coaching, and training, and they’ve been proven useless.”

Out of desperation, she even considered entering the gig economy as a way to “stay active,” but eventually decided against it after running the numbers and realising the returns would not really make sense.

“I’ve looked into PHV or food delivery…but the math simply doesn’t work. Between high rental costs and petrol, you’re essentially working for the leasing company. With AI on the horizon, the future feels even more precarious.”

“I’m reaching out because I just want to hear from others who are in (or have been in) this same boat. How are you coping, and is there something I can do to solve this? I hope I’m not the only one feeling this way.”

Her background

Providing some context about her background, she added that she’s been in the workforce for almost a decade.

She explained that she grew up in a low-income household and did not have many advantages early in life.

“I didn’t have things handed to me,” she said. “This taught me to be financially savvy out of necessity. Halfway through my career, I completed a part-time degree while working full-time just to support myself and my parents.”

“Because of that background, I’ve saved and invested religiously. Even when my income grew over the years, I still kept my lifestyle humble—spending like an intern to build a safety net.”

“You’re not alone.”

The post struck a chord with many Singaporeans, prompting them to open up about their own struggles with unemployment and burnout.

One individual shared, “Same… my applications are now nothing but silence. I used to get callbacks from HR at least. It’s super quiet now as time has passed by. As much as I want to worry less, I really want to work. My skills gap would be widened even further at this rate.”

Another commented, “Same boat, older than you. Unemployed for much longer. Not worried about money yet, but yes, the situation is messing with my head a bit.”

A third added, “You’re not alone. Landed a job working for my dad after being unemployed for 8 months. Without him, I would probably be begging on the streets.”

Others said her description of being stuck in a “Goldilocks loop” felt painfully accurate. 

According to them, many mid-career workers now find themselves trapped in an awkward middle ground, seen as too experienced, too expensive, or too difficult to mould for junior roles, while still not meeting the expectations for senior-level positions.

One user wrote, “I get how you are feeling. I have been actively looking for more than a year, and the number of interviews I got I can count on one hand. A few years ago, even during Covid, I was still able to get interviews fairly easily.”

“Now, like you said, I also feel like I am too highly paid for junior roles and do not have enough experience for senior roles. I don’t know how people on my LinkedIn feed can so easily change roles in this market. Really tip my hat to them.”

In other news, concerns over “quiet firing,” or silent termination, are gaining traction among workers here, after one employee highlighted how ongoing restructuring in her company appears to be pushing staff to leave without formal layoffs.

In a post on the r/askSingapore subreddit, she shared that her organisation has been undergoing restructuring since the end of 2024.

Read more: Employee asks, ‘Is quiet firing/silent termination becoming common in Singapore?’

This article (‘The psychological erosion is real’: Singaporean unemployed for 6 months opens up about joblessness) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.