PropertyLimBrothers reportedly cuts media arm staff months after leadership scandal
PropertyLimBrothers has retrenched the majority of staff in its media division, affecting about 90% of employees, as the agency grapples with fallout from a leadership scandal and reported revenue pressures.
- PropertyLimBrothers retrenched roughly 90% of its media arm staff.
- Layoffs follow leadership scandal and reported decline in agency revenue.
- Retrenchment benefits offered fall below prevailing tripartite guidelines.
SINGAPORE: PropertyLimBrothers (PLB) has retrenched a significant portion of employees within its media division, affecting approximately 90% of staff, less than three months after a leadership controversy placed the firm under public scrutiny.
According to The Edge's City & Country, PLB Media employed close to 100 staff as at February 2026.
The retrenchment exercise has since impacted the vast majority of these employees across multiple departments.
Widespread cuts across media operations
The layoffs have affected editorial, technology, video and overseas teams operating under PLB Media.
These divisions supported the agency’s core real estate business through research, marketing and social media services.
City & Country reported that the video team, which comprised close to 50 employees, saw around 90% of its workforce retrenched.
The scale of reductions indicates a substantial restructuring of the firm’s in-house media capabilities.
Employees were informed of the layoffs during meetings with human resource executives, which began in the week preceding the retrenchment.
One affected employee described being given a choice to either resign voluntarily or be retrenched, with only two days to make a decision.
Retrenchment terms and employee responses
According to accounts cited by City & Country, the retrenchment package offered a week’s salary for each year of service.
Another affected employee said those who opted to resign were extended similar terms. These included retaining company-issued devices and receiving recommendation letters to support their job search.
The retrenchment terms appear to fall below prevailing norms outlined in Singapore’s Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment.
The advisory states that employers are expected to provide between two weeks’ and one month’s salary per year of service, depending on circumstances.
In unionised companies, the typical benchmark is one month’s salary per year of service, where stipulated in collective agreements.
However, retrenchment benefits are not legally mandated.
Leadership scandal and business pressures
The layoffs follow a leadership controversy in late January 2026 involving PLB co-founder Melvin Lim and then-vice-president of strategy Grayce Tan.
Rumours circulated online alleging an extramarital affair between the two executives, both of whom are married.
Lim and Tan subsequently resigned from their positions on 28 January.
As at 5 February 2026, PLB had 79 registered agents.
Several realtors have since left the agency for competitors in recent months.
The agency’s 50:50 commission-sharing model, which offers a higher split to agents compared to industry norms, may have contributed to reduced revenue margins.
The combination of agent departures and commission structure pressures is understood to have affected the firm’s financial position.
Broader policy debate on retrenchment practices
The retrenchment exercise comes amid ongoing discussions in Singapore about workforce protections and employer obligations.
The tripartite advisory governing retrenchment practices was last updated in January 2023 by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).
In February 2026, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Health Dr Koh Poh Koon described the absence of mandatory retrenchment benefits as a “balanced approach” that allows flexibility for businesses while offering worker protection.
Manpower Minister earlier warns mandatory retrenchment notifications could discourage job preservation talks
The following month, Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng stated that the ministry is reviewing proposals to mandate advance retrenchment notifications as part of a broader review of the Employment Act.
Tan cautioned that compulsory notification requirements could discourage companies from attempting to preserve jobs, as firms often conduct private negotiations to avoid layoffs.
He added that mandatory reporting could accelerate retrenchments and raise concerns over leaks of sensitive business information.
Labour representatives have expressed support for earlier notification to enable timely assistance for affected workers, though challenges remain in implementation.
Current regulations require employers with at least 10 employees to notify the Ministry of Manpower within five working days after informing employees of retrenchment.
Recent cases have highlighted tensions between industry practices and expectations.
In 2024, e-commerce firm Lazada conducted layoffs in its Singapore office, including senior executives, without prior consultation with the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union.
Affected employees in that case were offered two weeks’ salary per year of service, below the prevailing norm.
