The most-approved answers
Retrenched at 45, feeling stuck. What did you do?
Been there at 47. First, breathe. Practical steps that actually helped me: 1) Registered with WSG (Workforce Singapore) career matching, the career coach was genuinely useful for rewriting my CV to be results-focused instead of duties-focused. 2) Applied for the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme, used my credits for a certification that made me relevant again. 3) Told my network I was looking, and 70% of interviews came from people I knew, not job portals. Cold applications at our age get filtered by age-blind ATS but rejected quietly. It took me 5 months but I landed something at similar pay. Cut discretionary spending, talk to your bank early about the HDB loan if cash flow is tight, they can restructure. You will get through this.
18First-hand experience