Support for women returning to work should start before they even leave their jobs, SCWO study finds

Support for women returning to work after a career break shouldn't begin only when they start sending out resumes – it should begin before they even leave their jobs.

That was one of the key findings from a study by the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) released on Friday (Sep 18), titled Women's Workforce Re-entry: Challenges, Barriers & Opportunities.

The study looked at women’s experiences returning to the workforce after a career break, including searching for a job, re-entering the workplace and remaining employed.

It is the first part of a three-year research-to-action programme by SCWO, which will focus on domestic violence in 2027 and caregiver well-being in 2028.

"Returning to work is not a single moment when a woman starts looking for a job again – the support actually must begin before she leaves the workforce and continue after she returns," said SCWO’s chief executive officer Yan Ping Koh.

"To do this, we need a mindset shift and review the way we look at caregiving in general.

“We need to look beyond simply getting women back into jobs to whether suitable opportunities exist, whether workplaces are ready to support their return alongside their caregiving duties, and whether women can stay and progress once they return."

The study, conducted by SCWO in collaboration with NTUC’s Women and Family unit, drew on 20 in-person focus group discussions with 120 women in July, an online poll of 502 women living in Singapore who were aged 24 and above in August, and a review of return-to-work initiatives in Singapore and overseas.

The focus groups included younger women returning after maternity leave, mid-career women who had taken caregiving-related career breaks, women aged 50 to 65 who had been out of the workforce for longer periods, and women who had unsuccessfully attempted to return to employment. Both PMET and non-PMET workers were represented.

According to Koh, the findings are not nationally representative of all women in Singapore. The research instead sought to capture the experiences of women at different life stages and points in their return-to-work journey.

THE STRUGGLE TO FIND SUITABLE WORK

Among the women polled, 299 had previously taken or were currently on a career break – 80 per cent of these said they wanted to return to work.

At the same time, nearly 70 per cent of all women polled believed taking a career break made finding suitable employment more difficult.

Women in the study described preparing themselves to return to work by updating their resumes, refreshing their skills and searching for jobs through multiple channels, but they did not always find roles that matched both their experience and their need for flexibility.

Flexible work arrangements emerged as the most desired form of return-to-work support, cited by 61 per cent of the respondents.

SCWO's findings suggest that this flexibility can matter at several points in a woman's career: It could help prevent someone from leaving because of caregiving pressures, make returning to employment more feasible and help her remain in the job afterwards.

In the focus groups, some women said they had accepted lower pay or seniority in exchange for workable arrangements. But the study also found that flexibility alone did not necessarily make a job sustainable if workloads remained unmanageable or progression opportunities were limited.

Those returning after a shorter career break generally required less retraining, while longer breaks could mean weaker professional networks and the need to adjust to changes in technology and workplace practices.

PMET returners placed greater importance on support tailored to their industry, role and seniority. Non-PMET returners were more concerned about practical training, predictable schedules, accessible workplaces and viable pay.

NEED FOR MORE INTEGRATED SUPPORT

SCWO's review found that in addition to public support, Singapore already has 33 non-government return-to-work initiatives, including mental health organisation Club Heal’s Back-to-Work Programme and social agency ABLE’s (Abilities Beyond Limitations and Expectations) Return-to-Work programme.

Koh said the issue therefore isn't about having more programmes, but about better connecting support across the entire journey, from keeping women in employment to finding suitable roles and supporting them after they return.

SCWO will next establish a Women's Workforce Inclusion & Re-Entry Working Group, which will examine areas including workplace retention, access to suitable and flexible jobs, employers' recruitment practices, different forms of support for returners and the conditions needed for women to remain employed after returning.

Through SCWO’s CoLab, member organisations will also develop community-led responses to the gaps identified by the research.

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