Retrenched at 53: How NTUC’s e2i helped a PME find a new career path

Andrew Lee, a 53-year-old former GovTech employee, thought he had reached a stage in his career where he knew what to expect.

He had spent most of his working life as a business analyst and built up 20 years of experience across private and public sectors.

Then came the retrenchment.

“I was shocked and in disbelief as I never thought I would need to go through this,” he said.

After eight years without having to apply for a job, Andrew suddenly had to navigate a recruitment landscape that had changed considerably.

Beyond updating his resume, he had to consider whether employers would value his experience, whether his last-drawn salary would affect his prospects, and whether it was time to pursue a different career.

At this crossroads, support from NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) helped him regain hope and focus his job search.

The challenges of job hunting at 53

As a business analyst, Andrew’s work involved engaging stakeholders to understand their needs, gathering requirements for new processes and products, and managing testing before these were implemented.

Although his experience was extensive, finding his next job was not simply a matter of sending out applications.

At this stage of his working life, he was concerned about competing with younger jobseekers for similar positions. He was also unsure whether he should continue pursuing familiar business analyst roles or consider a career change.

Even updating his resume proved challenging.

“That's one thing I never like to do and it's not a fun thing at all. Very time-consuming and tedious,” he said.

While artificial intelligence (AI) helped speed up the process, Andrew noted that he still had to review the output carefully to ensure its accuracy.

For workers who have spent years in the same role or organisation, returning to the job market can mean learning new recruitment practices while figuring out how best to present their experience to potential employers.

For Andrew, having guidance on where to focus his efforts became an important part of the transition.

Personalised coaching helped him focus his search

Andrew was introduced to e2i on the day he received news of his retrenchment. He met career coach Lim Xiao Yu, who explained how the organisation could support him during his transition.

Through five coaching sessions, Andrew received career guidance, resume customisation, job matching and interview preparation. He was also referred to 12 suitable job opportunities aligned with his experience and career interests.

Ms Lim shared relevant job openings and checked in with Andrew regularly through WhatsApp messages and phone calls to follow up on his progress.

When Andrew secured interviews, she helped him tailor his resume to the job descriptions and prepare for questions he might encounter.

Mock interview sessions gave him practical guidance on how to present his experience and respond to potential employers.

Andrew found the preparation useful, and put what he learnt into practice during his actual interviews.

Looking back, he said the support helped him focus on opportunities that matched his experience, rather than applying indiscriminately.

“I would say it gave me hope by providing me with coaching and curated job availabilities. Without this, I might be ‘shooting’ at everything and not hitting any,” he said.

The support gave Andrew a clearer direction as he worked through the uncertainties of finding another job.

Taking a chance on a career pivot

While searching for his next role, Andrew remained open to the possibility of a career change.

He came across an opening for an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) manager at a primary school and decided to apply.

As he had previously worked as a Business Analyst attached to the education sector, he believed his familiarity with the sector could be useful in the new position.

His decision paid off.

Andrew landed the role, moving from government tech into education – a fresh start after retrenchment.

Three weeks into the job, Andrew said he was settling in with the help of his colleagues.

He is also looking at ways to apply his previous experience to improve work processes in the school.

Among his ideas is to introduce interested staff to AI tools, including vibe coding, which allows users to create prototypes with the help of AI.

He also hopes to explore how AI could help teachers plan weekly lessons and how workflows could be made more efficient.

While these plans are still at an early stage, they reflect his willingness to apply his experience in new ways and explore opportunities beyond his previous job scope.

A fresh start is possible at any age

Andrew’s experience highlights how career transitions for older workers can be tricky.

For workers who have been out of the job market for years, personalised guidance can help them identify suitable opportunities, prepare for interviews and recognise how their existing skills may apply to different roles.

For workers facing retrenchment, NTUC’s e2i provides career coaching, job matching and employment support to help them take practical steps towards their next opportunity.

Andrew’s advice to other workers, especially those in their 50s, is to remain open-minded when looking for work.

“Never feel that you are always at a dead end. Always give career pivot consideration when looking for jobs,” he said.

For Andrew, the next chapter did not come from returning to the same kind of job.

It came from recognising that his experience could be useful in a different setting, with the right support to help him get there.

Need help finding your next job? Get career coaching and job matching with NTUC's e2i.