Only 54% of employees in Singapore believe they are compensated fairly

Employees in Singapore are found to be less positive about their workload compared to their peers in the APAC region, Mercer's Singapore Employee Engagement Index reported.

Based on responses from more than 45,000 employees in Singapore, the report revealed only 54% of employees in Singapore believe they are compensated fairly for what they do, compared to 59% in APAC and 56% globally.

At the same time, only 69% felt the amount of work expected of them is reasonable, compared to 75% across APAC and 71% globally.

Apart from that, only 63% felt their career goals can be met at their companies, and despite the growing emphasis and investment on L&D at most organisations today, only 70% of the employees feel they have enough opportunity to continually learn and grow.

The findings also showed that employee engagement in Singapore has declined consistently over the last three years - a stark contrast to the upward trend observed in employee engagement across the globe.

Although there is a three point increase in employees’ intention to stay with their employers, they are critical about questions related to their motivation, pride, and satisfaction. In particular, employees in Singapore are less positive about recommending their companies as good places to work.

Only 72% of Singaporeans are somewhat engaged at work, compared to 82% of their counterparts in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. This places Singapore in second last place in the APAC region when it comes to engagement.

In addition to that, Singaporeans are less likely to endorse their organisations as good employers - only 67% of employees in Singapore are willing to advocate for their companies as good places to work, compared to 76% of employees in APAC.

Worryingly, even among the engaged employees, only a small fraction are reportedly enthusiastic about going above and beyond their scope of work to help their companies thrive, with a stark difference in strongly favourable responses between employees in the APAC region (32%) and Singapore (25%).

Peta Latimer, CEO of Mercer in Singapore, said: "Improving employee engagement continues to represent a significant opportunity - not just for businesses but also for the economy as a whole, as we prepare for the future of work.

"Many find the culture of their organisations limiting, unable to fully express themselves even though they may feel a sense of pride in working there. Companies must foster a culture of empowerment, one where every employee feels included and appreciated."

"Engagement represents the best opportunity for Singapore to optimise the human capital it has. If performance and productivity are a combination of individual talent and engagement, the best way to optimise talent is to ensure it’s engaged. Although this seems obvious, many organisations still struggle to build the work environment they need to fully realize engagement in the workplace," Latimer concluded.

Infographic / Mercer Lead photo / 123RF