Retrenchment is one of many serious employment issues facing globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study provides valuable insight into the wellbeing of retrenched workforce who are forced to cope with both unemployment and a global pandemic, and workforce perspectives regarding types of support needed during the recovery phase. Six themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (1) Retrenchment leading to the deterioration of psychological wellbeing (2) Unemployment, financial strain and economic uncertainty (3) Emotions related to the COVID-19 virus (4) Coping with lifestyle change (5) Recommendations to improve the psychological wellbeing and mental health of the retrenched workforce, and (6) Career and financial support at the recovery phase. Thematic analysis was subsequently conducted to identify key themes in the data set. A purposive sample of 30 retrenched participants was interviewed via telephone during Malaysia's Movement Control Order (MCO).

This study aimed to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic related retrenchment on the psychological wellbeing of the Malaysian workforce, using a qualitative research approach and based on the Latent-deprivation Model.

With retrenchment measures being a common response strategy during economic downturns, many individuals have been faced with unemployment. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has triggered several employment-related issues, followed by different response strategies. 6Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.5Department of Applied Statistics, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

4Centre for Research in Psychology and Human Well-Being, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia.

3Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

2Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.1Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia.Guek-Nee Ke 1 * Dasha Grajfoner 2 Stephen Carter 3 Nicole DeLima 1 Rozainee Khairudin 4 Wee-Yeap Lau 5 Khalil Anwar Kamal 6 Shen Chieng Lee 6

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