Almost half of employees in Singapore not satisfied with workload compensation

Employee engagement in Singapore continued to decline over the last three years.

Only 54% of employees in Singapore believe they are compensated fairly for what they do compared to other workers in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, Mercer’s Singapore Employee Engagement Index reported. This is lower compared to the 59% of their APAC region counterparts.

Meanwhile, 46% believe that they were not fairly compensated considering their workload.

Whilst there was a three point increase in the data between 2015 and 2017 regarding employees’ likelihood of remaining with their employers, findings showed that overall employee engagement in Singapore continued to decline over the last three years.

“We see this data as an urgent call for leaders in Singapore to shift their focus and life their capability to be more effective ‘social architects’ and cultural champions.” Mercer’s report concluded. “Whilst the focus on strategy and structure in Singapore has served leaders well thus far, there is now a need to place more emphasis on the stewardship of the social elements in companies.”

The report revealed that 72% of employees in Singapore were somewhat engaged at work, compared to 82% of their counterparts in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. This places the country in second to the last place in the APAC region in regards to engagement.

“As noted in our recent 2018 Global Talent Trends Report, employees crave for a meaningful work experience. They want to work with a purpose that resonates with their personal values. This implies that the future of work lies in empowering individuals,” the report stated.

Additionally, only 67% of workers in Singapore would recommend their companies as good places to work, compared to average of 75% in the APAC region and 76% globally.

Mercer surveyed 60 companies in Singapore over the last five years, amounting to over 45,000 employees working across various sectors including manufacturing, financial services, retailers and hospitality. The analysis assessed employee engagement through levels of pride, motivation and commitment employees had towards their companies.