Forget the long to-do list. In week one, the only thing that matters is prioritization.
Some doors close within hours, others stay open for weeks, so work straight down.
Note that your personal situation and timeline might look different.
Updated July 2026 — kept current so you're not working off stale advice.
Access usually dies the moment it's official — sometimes mid-meeting. Assume you have minutes, not days.
Benefits stop on your last day. The laptop, pass and phone go back — make sure nothing of yours goes with them.
A vague "I have some savings" is what makes the gap feel bottomless. Put real dates on it and it gets manageable.
The package is the one number you can still move. Don't trade it away in the room, and give yourself room to breathe before the search.
Most jobs come through people, not portals. This is where time spent compounds — start before the runway gets short.
Short, plain answers to what people ask me most. Links go straight to the official source.
First, save everything you'll need before your access is cut — payslips, IR8A, reference letters and contacts — because company access often dies the moment it's official. Then map how long your money lasts and check what you're owed. Work down the timeline above in order, and put a real date on your runway with the runway calculator.
Retrenchment benefit in Singapore is a norm, not a statutory requirement: the common range is 2 weeks to 1 month of salary per year of service for employees with at least 2 years' service, and below that an ex-gratia payment is customary. What's actually promised is whatever your employment contract or collective agreement states — so read it. See the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for the official guidelines.
Your CPF savings stay yours — retrenchment doesn't touch your OA, MA or SA balances. Employer CPF contributions simply stop when your employment ends, and retrenchment benefits themselves are not CPF-payable. You can confirm the details with the CPF Board.
The main scheme is SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support: up to $6,000 over 6 months for involuntarily unemployed lower- and middle-income residents, paid via a points system — career coaching, job applications and training earn points that unlock monthly payouts, capped at your last job's average gross salary, and support ends the month you're re-employed. You can also tap career services from WSG Careers Connect and e2i. Apply for Jobseeker Support on the official page.
That depends on your payout, your monthly burn and any income during the search — but you can get a concrete month-count in about 60 seconds. Use the free, private Retrenchment Runway Calculator — everything runs in your browser, so nothing you type ever leaves your device.
