NTUC helps Deliveroo workers secure jobs and outstanding earnings after Singapore closure

Despite having heard over the years that Deliveroo would leave the Singapore market, former employee Vera Lau was still shocked when it happened.

“I think a lot of us felt like it’s bound to happen at some point,” said Vera, who was laid off by Deliveroo’s Singapore closure.

All workers at Deliveroo’s Singapore office were affected by the move, including operations staff and delivery riders.

“Throughout the years, as new things evolved within the company, different markets were struck off. There was also a situation around COVID, and there were layoffs in Singapore.

“Our mindsets were like, “we’ll see how long this plays out”,” added Vera, who used to handle commercial strategy operations at the firm. She is currently seeking help at NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to get a job.

The 32-year-old was one of around 70 former Deliveroo workers responsible for administrative, sales and marketing, and IT operations within the company.

On 25 February 2026, the UK-based food delivery platform, which had been operating in Singapore since 2015, announced its closure. The platform operator’s last day of operations was on 4 March 2026.

The Labour Movement steps in to help all workers affected by Deliveroo’s closure

NTUC and its affiliated unions and associations acted swiftly to help all members and workers impacted by Deliveroo’s closure. While Deliveroo is not unionised in Singapore, some retrenched operations employees are members of The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (The SMMWU). Meanwhile, several Deliveroo delivery riders are represented by the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA).

Both NDCA and the SMMWU had previously committed to assisting operations employees and platform workers when the company’s closure was announced on 25 February 2026.

Job placement support for retrenched Deliveroo operations staff

A day after Deliveroo shuttered on 4 March 2026, The SMMWU and NTUC’s e2i held a joint briefing session for retrenched workers involved in office operations and back-end support, including Vera.

“Today's briefing session aims to provide affected operations, back-end, and office employees with clarity on their employment options, insights into the current job market, as well as information on the placement assistance services offered by NTUC’s e2i and the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme,” the union’s Secretary-General Andy Lim said.

NTUC’s e2i career coaches were also on-site to provide immediate job search assistance and career advisory support to the former Deliveroo workers.

Mr Lim emphasised that The SMMWU members will also receive added support from the Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) to defray course fees and the NTUC GIFT group term life insurance policy for peace of mind.

Former Deliveroo employee seeks new job with NTUC support

For Vera (above), finding a new job is a priority, as she plans to support her parents soon, particularly her father, who is nearing retirement. She also aspires to buy her own HDB flat when she turns 35.

The former Deliveroo employee is keen on staying within operations, but wants to explore different sectors, such as fintech. She is also mulling a career pivot to professional driving.

“It’s nice to know that these [NTUC] resources are available, and I appreciate the help. With this session, I really wanted to know if what I have prepared now for job applications is sufficient,” said Vera, who also consulted the e2i career coach at the NTUC briefing session.

She is also considering applying for the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme and attending relevant career fairs and career events organised by NTUC’s e2i.

Outstanding earnings support for ex-Deliveroo riders

Since Deliveroo announced its withdrawal from Singapore over a week ago, NDCA has acted swiftly to protect riders’ interests.

In a Facebook post on 5 March 2026, the NTUC-affiliated platform work association updated that it has been engaging Deliveroo’s management on payment timelines, outstanding earnings and incentives, restoration of the cashout access, and goodwill compensation.

Deliveroo will pay platform workers their earnings and incentives from 16 to 28 February 2026 within two days after 5 March 2026. Additionally, earnings, incentives, and CPF payments for orders between 1 and 4 March 2026 will be credited to riders’ accounts by 10 March 2026.

NDCA will also assist former Deliveroo riders keen to move to other platform operators like Grab and Foodpanda with the onboarding and appeal for those who were unable to access these platforms previously.

For instance, with NDCA’s collaboration, Foodpanda has rolled out a faster and simpler onboarding process and is offering attractive new joiner incentives.

Meanwhile, NDCA has also partnered with NTUC’s e2i to offer ex-Deliveroo riders access to career coaching, job matching, and skills upgrading support, especially for those wanting to transition to full-time employment.

Ex-Deliveroo office employee or riders can reach out to The SMMWU or NDCA for added protection and support.

Operations Employees: Contact The SMMWU at 6294 2481 (Monday–Thursday: 9am–6pm / Friday: 9am–5pm) or email: feedback@smmwu.org.sg.

Delivery Riders: Contact NDCA at 6213 8506 (Monday-Friday: 9am -6pm) or online: https://ndca.org.sg/contact-us/report.