The first days after a job loss are a blur of shock, phone calls and maths. This is a plan for the first month, so the important things get done while your head is still spinning.
After losing your job, confirm your final pay and paperwork, work out how long your money will last, check your pension and health cover, and set a routine. Then tell your network exactly what you’re looking for.
Days one to three: don’t react, record
- Don’t sign anything on the spot. Take the letter home and read it calmly.
- Get the paperwork: your termination or redundancy letter, your contract, recent payslips, and a written breakdown of your final pay.
- Check what you’re owed: salary to your last day, notice pay or pay in lieu of notice, unused leave, and any severance or redundancy package your contract or company policy promises.
- Ask for a reference or a letter confirming your employment while people still remember your work.
- Don’t post angrily online. Future employers read LinkedIn too.
- Tell the people you live with. Hiding it takes energy you’ll need.
Week one: know your runway
Nigeria has no general unemployment benefit, so your runway is your final pay, your savings and whatever support your family can offer.
- List your essential monthly costs: rent, food, school fees, transport, data, medicines.
- List what’s coming in: final pay, savings, any side income.
- Divide to see how many months you can last.
- Pause what you can: subscriptions, contributions and non-urgent spending.
- Call lenders before you miss a payment. Many will agree a plan.
Avoid quick fixes that make things worse: loan apps, betting, or anything promising fixed high returns. If you’re married, have the money conversation together. Our guide to marriage under financial strain can help.
Check your pension
- Ask your pension fund administrator (PFA) for an RSA statement. Make sure your employer remitted every contribution. Missing remittances are common, and easier to chase now than years later.
- Know the 25% rule. If you still haven’t found work four months after leaving, you can apply through your PFA to withdraw up to 25% of your RSA balance, with the National Pension Commission’s approval. It can ease a hard stretch, but it shrinks your retirement savings, so treat it as a last resort. Different rules apply from age 50, so ask your PFA.
Check your health cover
If your HMO cover came through work, ask exactly when it ends. If you or anyone in your family is in treatment, plan how to keep it going, and ask whether you can move to an individual plan.
Week two: build a routine before the job hunt
The job search expands to fill every hour if you let it, and empty days are hard on the mind. Keep a fixed wake time, set job-search hours with a start and a finish, move your body daily, and have a reason to leave the house at least a few times a week. Our piece on job loss and identity explains why structure matters so much in the first months.
Weeks three and four: make targeted moves
- Tell your network, specifically. “I’m looking for operations roles in logistics. Do you know anyone at these three companies?” gets further than “let me know if you hear of anything.”
- Update your CV and LinkedIn around achievements, not duties.
- Look beyond advertised jobs: contract work, consulting, part-time or freelance projects that bring in income and keep your skills visible.
- Fill one gap. If adverts keep asking for a skill you lack, a short course can be worth more than a hundred more applications.
Look after your mind
Shock, shame, anger and fear are normal. So is the urge to pretend nothing has happened. Watch for signs it’s becoming more than a hard patch: low mood most days for more than two weeks, sleeping far more or far less, avoiding everyone, drinking more, or feeling hopeless. Read about depression if that sounds familiar. If tech layoffs are what hit you, tech layoffs and what they do to you is written for you.
A therapist can help you through the shock and the job search. You can find one who works with career and workplace stress, by video, voice or chat.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do immediately after losing my job?
Get your letter, contract and final pay breakdown in writing, check what you’re owed, and tell the people you live with. Don’t sign anything or post about it until you’ve had time to think.
Can I withdraw my pension if I lose my job in Nigeria?
If you haven’t found another job four months after leaving, you can apply through your PFA to withdraw up to 25% of your RSA balance, with PenCom’s approval. It reduces your retirement savings, so use it carefully.
Suggested read: Starting Over After 40: Job Loss in Nigeria
How do I tell my family I lost my job?
Tell them early and plainly, with a plan: what happened, how long your money will last, and what you’re doing next. Most families cope better with bad news than with secrets.
How do I cope emotionally after losing my job?
Keep a routine, stay in contact with people, measure your effort rather than outcomes, and get support if low mood lasts more than a couple of weeks.
Is there unemployment benefit in Nigeria?
No. Nigeria doesn’t have a general unemployment benefit, which is why working out your money runway in the first week matters so much.
