<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>While their govt pays themselves the BEST PAY in the world and cannot deliver and donch know what's going on?
Jan 25, 2009
RETRENCHED PROFESSIONAL
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>GST credits to tide her over for 2 months
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Madam Cheng Li Jiuan, 47, with her husband, Mr I.K. Bharoocha, 61, a driver who earns less than $2,000 a month. Madam Cheng lost her job as a bank officer last November and has been trying to find a new one through recruitment agencies and job fairs with no luck so far. -- PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Madam Cheng Li Jiuan, 47, was a bank officer in a foreign bank until she was retrenched in November last year. She was drawing a monthly salary of $3,700 then. She has since been trying to find a new job through recruitment agencies and job fairs. She lives in a three-room flat in Bedok with her husband, Mr I.K. Bharoocha, 61, who works as a driver with an office and earns less than $2,000 a month. Their monthly household expenditure is about $1,000. They have no children.
What's for reunion dinner this year?
We had our reunion dinner at my mother's place two weeks ago. There were seven of us including my siblings, and we had a simple home-cooked meal with duck and chicken. Today, we will gather again at my mother's place for lohei, which will include raw salmon.
What was for reunion dinner last year?
We had a steamboat dinner. There were the usual items like quail eggs and sotong balls. We don't usually eat stuff like abalone because we don't like the taste. We also had lohei.
My mother pays for the reunion dinner, but I will give her a $100 hongbao. This year, she told me not to give her a hongbao because I don't have a job.
How was the Year of the Rat for you and your family?
I would say we were doing okay until I got retrenched. But my husband and I live very simply. We don't own a car and we have very simple tastes, so we will still manage.
What is your biggest fear for the Year of the Ox?
That I cannot find a job. I'm not young anymore, and it's difficult for a mature worker like me to find a job. In fact, I have already gone for two interviews but they both didn't work out. There's so much competition from younger workers these days.
My husband is also retiring this year. Even though we can live on our savings, it's still better to have extra cash just in case one of us falls sick.
How did the Budget help you?
The cash (GST Credits) that we are getting is not a large sum. It can probably tide me over for one or two months but eventually, I will still need to find a job.
Any wish list?
I hope that the Government can somehow get employers to accept mature employees like me. There may be many opportunities for retraining but if companies are not willing to hire us, then no matter how much we upgrade ourselves, it won't be of any use.
Jan 25, 2009
RETRENCHED PROFESSIONAL
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>GST credits to tide her over for 2 months
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Madam Cheng Li Jiuan, 47, with her husband, Mr I.K. Bharoocha, 61, a driver who earns less than $2,000 a month. Madam Cheng lost her job as a bank officer last November and has been trying to find a new one through recruitment agencies and job fairs with no luck so far. -- PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Madam Cheng Li Jiuan, 47, was a bank officer in a foreign bank until she was retrenched in November last year. She was drawing a monthly salary of $3,700 then. She has since been trying to find a new job through recruitment agencies and job fairs. She lives in a three-room flat in Bedok with her husband, Mr I.K. Bharoocha, 61, who works as a driver with an office and earns less than $2,000 a month. Their monthly household expenditure is about $1,000. They have no children.
What's for reunion dinner this year?
We had our reunion dinner at my mother's place two weeks ago. There were seven of us including my siblings, and we had a simple home-cooked meal with duck and chicken. Today, we will gather again at my mother's place for lohei, which will include raw salmon.
What was for reunion dinner last year?
We had a steamboat dinner. There were the usual items like quail eggs and sotong balls. We don't usually eat stuff like abalone because we don't like the taste. We also had lohei.
My mother pays for the reunion dinner, but I will give her a $100 hongbao. This year, she told me not to give her a hongbao because I don't have a job.
How was the Year of the Rat for you and your family?
I would say we were doing okay until I got retrenched. But my husband and I live very simply. We don't own a car and we have very simple tastes, so we will still manage.
What is your biggest fear for the Year of the Ox?
That I cannot find a job. I'm not young anymore, and it's difficult for a mature worker like me to find a job. In fact, I have already gone for two interviews but they both didn't work out. There's so much competition from younger workers these days.
My husband is also retiring this year. Even though we can live on our savings, it's still better to have extra cash just in case one of us falls sick.
How did the Budget help you?
The cash (GST Credits) that we are getting is not a large sum. It can probably tide me over for one or two months but eventually, I will still need to find a job.
Any wish list?
I hope that the Government can somehow get employers to accept mature employees like me. There may be many opportunities for retraining but if companies are not willing to hire us, then no matter how much we upgrade ourselves, it won't be of any use.
