Commentary: Anxious about rising layoffs? Make a back-up plan for your career

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WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Worldwide

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Digital Media Awards Worldwide

SINGAPORE: In late 2021, I became self-employed, providing content writing and marketing services to HR tech companies.

It started well with more retainers than I could handle. On top of that, my ad-hoc commissioned work provided some side income.

But in the middle of 2022, things started to slow. My income level almost halved, and the declining economic conditions didnt seem to point in any other direction.

So I did what I thought may make sense - I started looking for other opportunities, and interviewed for a role with a multinational company. In other words, I career cushioned.

KEEPING YOUR OPTIONS OPEN

Career cushioning is becoming popular as workers become more concerned about their jobs. According to LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher, conversations around recession on the networking site was nine times higher in November 2022 compared to the previous year.