‘I felt betrayed’: Mother retrenched 3 weeks after returning from maternity leave, workers share trauma of layoffs She had been working at the company for four years. 👩🏻‍💻 https://stmp.sg/beuz @stompteam   Full Story: ‘I Felt Betrayed’ — Mother Retrenched 3 Weeks After Maternity Leave, Workers Share Trauma of Layoffs   Published: Sep 3, 2026, 9:47am · By Ethel Tseng · Source: Stomp / The Straits Times        💔 Rebecca's Story   Three weeks after returning from maternity leave — and after four years with the same company — 31-year-old Rebecca was called into a meeting with her manager and told she was being let go. She was given two weeks' notice and a single day off to process the news.    While there was no stated connection to her new motherhood, the timing left her feeling "heartbroken" and "betrayed," and made her suspect it was a prejudiced decision. She had built her whole adult life there — got engaged, married, had a child, and bought a house all during her time at the firm.    "I was overwhelmed because I was suddenly financially unstable. I had to live off my savings to get by and pay for home renovations."   The experience stayed with her long after: applying for ~60 jobs a week for three months, grappling with imposter syndrome — a voice in her head telling her she wasn't good enough, even though her work performance was never cited as the reason. A career counsellor even advised her to keep the retrenchment "vague" when interviewing, because she noticed she wouldn't get callbacks when she was upfront.    Eventually she found a new role, but the anxiety lingers:   "Even now when I submit work, I think 'that's not the best you could've done' — 'you're going to get retrenched.' But then I get praised and the voice fades away."        📈 Rising Retrenchments in Singapore   Layoffs have been accelerating: 4,500 people retrenched April–June 2026, up from 3,830 in the prior quarter — the highest since late 2020. Major cuts announced this year include:    - Amazon — Singapore roles cut, May 7 - Shopee — ~8% of developer roles axed, June - Lazada — 5% of Southeast Asia workforce, June 23 - GovTech — 93 staff laid off (42% in their 40s), mid-July - CapitaLand Investment — 90 Singapore staff, 2026 restructuring        😔 Shame, Silence — and Breaking the Stigma   Advertising professional Dion faced a different burden: the anxiety of explaining himself to friends and acquaintances, and the "perceived shame" around being laid off. But unlike Rebecca's initial experience, being open worked in his favour — being upfront about the circumstances actually landed him interviews.    Experts say perceptions are shifting — retrenchment itself is not a red flag. Veteran recruiter Linus Choo (Ethos BeathChapman) explains:   "It's business-driven restructuring, not individual performance — hiring managers see that. What they really scrutinise is what you did after. A gap of six months doing nothing raises far more questions than someone who networked, took contract work, or upskilled."    Advice from experts: Be honest about being retrenched — and say it with confidence, not apology. In Singapore's small job market, "you can ask around — the truth comes out," says former HR manager Jeffrey. Getting caught hiding it is worse than the layoff itself.        ✅ Rights & Next Steps   - Check your retrenchment benefits — and if your employer falls short, seek mediation through TADM (Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management)  - Maternity protection: It is unlawful to dismiss an employee on account of pregnancy or maternity leave. If the dismissal happens shortly after returning, the burden of proof falls on the employer to show it was unrelated - Notify MOM: Employers of 10+ staff must notify MOM within 5 working days of issuing retrenchment notices - Move forward: Stay active — upskill, take interim work, network. Transparency builds trust and activates your support system        Rebecca's closing thought:   "It's never personal. Don't belittle your work ethic. Just be grateful life pointed you in a different direction — it's probably for the best."    🔗 Full article: https://stmp.sg/beuz

Record 201 Million-Dollar HDB Flats Sold in August, First Time Monthly Total Crosses 200 👉 https://goodyfeed.com/record-201-million-dollar-hdb-flats-sold-in-august-first-time-monthly-total-crosses-200/   Record 201 Million-Dollar HDB Flats Sold in August 2026 — Full Details   Published: 3 September 2026, by George Yang / Goodyfeed       📊 Key Figures   - 201 HDB resale flats sold for at least S$1 million in August 2026 — first time monthly total crossed 200 - Up from 187 in July, beating previous record of 188 in June - Million-dollar flats = 8% of all HDB resale transactions in August - Total resale transactions: 2,524 (−5.1% from July, +14.1% YoY) - Overall resale price index: +0.1% m/m, −0.5% y/y       📍 By Location — Mature vs Non-Mature Estates   Mature Estates: 177 units (new monthly record)   Town $1M+ Deals  Toa Payoh 32  Queenstown 26  Bukit Merah 21    - 24 of Toa Payoh's 32 deals were from newer flats along Bidadari Park Drive & Alkaff Crescent   Non-Mature Towns: 24 units (new record, up from 21 in July)   Town $1M+ Deals  Hougang 14  Woodlands 5  Remaining spread across Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Jurong East, Sengkang 5    By Flat Type (million-dollar deals)   - 4-room: 82 units - 5-room: 65 units - Executive: 53 units - 3-room terrace (Queenstown): 1 unit       🏆 Top Transactions in August   Flat Price Details  5-room @ Tiong Bahru View (Boon Tiong Rd) S$1,688,888 112 m², 28–30th floor, ~88 years lease left — month's highest  Executive Maisonette @ Bishan St 13 S$1.65M 162 m², ~60 years lease — record for executive HDB flat  5-room @ Bedok South Horizon S$1.45M — new Bedok town record  Executive flat @ Woodlands St 81 S$1.25M — highest in non-mature estates        📈 Year-to-Date & Annual Comparison   - Jan–Aug 2026: 1,290 million-dollar HDB flats sold - Full-year 2025: 1,593 (previous annual record)       🔄 Market Context & Policy Change   - Overall market stable: The record number of million-dollar deals happened even as overall prices barely moved (+0.1% m/m) and total sales volume dipped 5.1% from July - Removal of 15-month wait-out period (effective 27 July 2026): Private property owners & former owners buying non-subsidised HDB resale without HDB housing loan no longer need to wait 15 months. This could bring more buyers — especially private owners looking to right-size — into the market - HDB removed the restriction after several quarters of moderation in resale prices       Source: 99.co, SRX, PropNex Research — data as at 1 September 2026 Full article: https://goodyfeed.com/record-201-million-dollar-hdb-flats-sold-in-august-first-time-monthly-total-crosses-200/