1 in 2 Singaporean managers to ditch current employers

Will leaving present company boost their careers?

According to 2012 Global Workforce Study, employees in Singapore are found to be less engaged and less loyal to their employers. 54% of employees in middle management level believe that they have to leave their organisation to advance to a higher level and 45% of them believe that with employees in positions above them choosing not to retire, their options for career advancements are limited.

Here's more from GWS 2012:

The survey, which was conducted across a range of industries in 29 markets around the world, found that Singapore employees, especially middle managers, are the least engaged compared to regional and global peers. The proportion of Singapore employees who are highly engaged stands at 28%, which is lower than global average of 35% and the regional average of 39% for Asia Pacific. Only 23% of middle managers in Singapore are highly engaged.

Amrita Prasad, Towers Watson‘s Practice Leader, Organisational Surveys & Insights in Singapore said, ―In Singapore, less than a third (28%) of employees are highly engaged. This is of concern, given the strong relationship that exists between high levels of sustained engagement and company financial results. Companies have known for years that employee engagement is important to business performance, but until now it appears that many have not been able to move the needle on engagement." 

Not only are a lower proportion of Singapore employees engaged, GWS 2012 found that Singapore employees are also more likely to leave their current employers within the next two years compared to their global and Asia Pacific counterparts – 34% of employees said they are likely to leave compared to 28% globally. The demographic groups with an even lower intent to stay are young employees (less than 30 years old), middle managers and even high potential employees.

Another interesting finding of the survey was that Singapore employees sense a lack of career advancement opportunities. 46% of respondents in Singapore believe they have to join another organisation in order to advance to a job at a higher level, and 38% believe that employees in positions above them are choosing not to retire, thus reducing their career advancement options.