COMMENT | Small businesses dying off, 1m lost jobs – but nobody cares

COMMENT | We are the lucky ones. When other developed countries are still debating how to “flatten the curve”, we are one of the few that have done so successfully. With this, we can reopen our economy.

More cars add to highways on rush hours, more people queue in front of retail stores, more friends catch up over a cup of coffee without a screen dividing them.

But our economy is still nowhere close to recovering.

My job requires me to talk to at least five different businesses each day. And while most have said that businesses are picking up as the economy reopens, they are nowhere near pre-pandemic levels.

Small businesses are at the brink of dying off.

A fashion startup is cutting 30 percent of its staff’s salary as revenue takes a steep 50 percent dive. An event and advertising company had to cut all but one of its fresh graduates from the team. A 12-year-old Malay restaurant has told all its employees that they are losing their jobs if the orders do not pick up, as they only have a one-month runway left.

Worst job loss numbers in 30 years

The economy is reopening but it is not recovering.

Most businesses could only commit to...