'Nobody will call you': The long road back after retrenchment for workers in their 50s

SINGAPORE: Mr Francis Lee, 59, had just celebrated closing a deal when his company told him he was being retrenched. Restructuring at his multinational packaging firm had cost him his director role.

Life went quiet after his last day of work in February 2025. “Nobody will call you. Nobody will message you,” he said. After more than 30 years of being on call for his job and seeing his colleagues more often than his friends, the silence was disorienting.

Despite having savings and receiving a “golden handshake”, Mr Lee said he could not afford to retire given the rising cost of living. He also wanted to stay active. “At this age, since I’m able to learn and able to contribute, why am I just sitting there and doing nothing?”

A mechanical engineer by training, Mr Lee had spent his working life at one company apart from a few early years. The only option in his mind was another full-time job.

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For months, he kept busy by sending out job applications and taking courses in artificial intelligence, which he had not used at work. His efforts yielded only one interview – a referral from an ex-colleague – and no offers.

He dusted off the taxi driver’s licence he obtained more than 10 years ago as a back-up plan. But he stopped driving after a few months – the earnings did not justify the hours, he was too tired to apply for jobs after his shifts, and his blood sugar level had risen from sitting for long hours.

Months into his job search, Mr Lee put the brakes on looking for full-time work. He began offering his business and workflow automation skills to companies on a contract basis, or by training their employees.

More than a year after his last job, he set up his own consultancy, APAC Edge, in April and got his qualifications as a trainer in September. He is looking for his first paying client and developing his first paid course.