Singapore’s unemployment rate may be low but behind the numbers are stories of struggle, reinvention, and quiet resilience. As layoffs rise and AI reshapes how people apply for jobs, many Singaporeans are finding that traditional job search tactics are no longer enough. Many are finding that polished résumés and persistence no longer guarantee results. 

Teo Kai Xiang, journalist at the Straits Times’ Life Desk joins The Breakfast Show to discuss his article titled “‘I applied to over 300 jobs’: What people wish they knew before they got laid off” which explores how retrenched Singaporeans are navigating long-term unemployment not just financially, but emotionally and what it really takes to stay resilient in a job market marked by burnout, rejection, and automation. How are jobseekers breaking through the noise and rewriting the rules of what it means to bounce back?