Gardenia layoffs spark anxiety over jobs and cost of living among S’pore workers: ‘Deeply uncomfortable’
The recent retrenchment of 141 Gardenia employees has left many netizens questioning the uncertain job market in Singapore, with one even saying they felt “deeply uncomfortable” amid anxieties over rising cost-of-living pressures.
The bread manufacturer said on May 20 that the retrenchments were part of a move to shift bakery production to Johor Bahru — operations at its Pandan Loop manufacturing facility are set to cease on June 30.
The news triggered an overwhelming response on social media, with many netizens expressing concern over the uncertainty of the job market in Singapore.
“Feels like a whole wave of cuts in the workforce. How are there jobs available to house all the displaced workers,” one netizen commented in a post on the Singapore subreddit.
Another stressed that it was no small matter, describing it as the “loss of an entire production line” and adding that they were “deeply uncomfortable with the way this economy is heading”.
“It is the loss of an entire value chain that feeds many local SMEs and workers,” the netizen said.
“All honest folks with their livelihood affected and little recourse for anything else despite the grand promises of ‘reskilling’.”
Netizens urge greater support for homegrown brands
Many also lamented similar moves by other homegrown brands like Yeo’s, which announced the retrenchment of 25 Singapore staff on March 31 as it shifts manufacturing operations to Malaysia.
Tiger Beer brewer Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) also said it would be laying off about 130 workers in Singapore over the next two years.
“I think more Singapore-made foods will slowly vanish,” one netizen said, as another described the layoffs as “worrisome”.
A commenter even linked the situation to a lack of support for local brands, calling for others to back homegrown products and services.
Other netizens say retrenchments were ‘inevitable’
However, others suggested it was a necessary and realistic move.
“I think it’s also how constrained Singapore market is, we don’t have land to do manufacturing or processing raw materials, which typically helps cushion displaced workers,” one netizen pointed out, while another agreed that it was simply one of the “cons of a small country”.
A user speculated that blue-collar jobs were being relocated, suggesting that the country “focus on its role as a trade and financial hub instead of trying to diversify”.
In another post on the asksg subreddit, some netizens said the move was understandable from a business standpoint, suggesting that consumers would not be affected by it as the products would still be available.
“It’s inevitable that the lower value parts will be outsourced,” another netizen said.
“It’s also not really in Singapore’s interest to keep lower value manufacturing, where we will always lose in cost competitiveness.”
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
