I am a 52-year-old unemployed of a Malay race. I have been unemployed for 1 year plus and the help I received so far is from the CDC.
I got retrenched from the position of safety coordinator I worked for due to end of contract and the person that is sitting on the position now is a foreign worker that I trained before.
I guess you know how I felt.
I am trying my best to find a job now but whenever I go for the interviews, the first question they asked me is how much are you asking for. I replied, “Negotiable.” “ Do you want to go for the same pay as ten years ago?” how should I answer, of course not??? A foreigner took away my job that paid me $4500 per month to support my family.
I was the sole breadwinner of the family. Due to my unemployment, my wife started to find a job and is now working. They said can give me $2000 for the job role i was in but is it enough for me? To the foreigners, $2000 to them is a considered a lot and they are very happy with it. To me? I have housing loans to pay, household expenses, my children’s education and savings for the future and the transportations as well…
When I went to CDC to ask for help, they said there is no job so far for my job role in the safety line. I was stunned. Singapore is so big and there is no vacancy for my position?
Work is my life, and it is about money, everything in Singapore is about money. Work to survive, work for the family etc. Although I may not have decent food for my family now, at least we still have something to eat. I hate when somebody comes to complain to me that the food is no good, I will get mad. Just eat whatever that is still on the table. Thank God there is still some food on the table.
If the only food is pork on the table, I will eat it to live. I am not going to die. I cannot be dead. If there is only one food on the table and that is pork, I am going to eat it up. That is what my religion tells me to. You eat to live not live to eat. You just eat to live.
Luckily I have very supportive friends and family members, we talk about employment issues and all the stress I am facing. My wife is very understanding. I don’t mind do household chores when I am unemployed as she is now working. Even when I am employed, I do the cooking. We stay by our side and face the problem together.
I am just trying my best to work for my family and if they (the foreigners) take away my job how am I going to survive in Singapore? I did go for courses under NTUC to upgrade myself. But is it enough? I am not too sure now.
Hamzah
Source: www.transitioning.org
