Employers hope for business continuity in 2021: research

There will be great emphasis on health, hygiene, and safety in the workplace.

Singaporean employers have been optimistic about business continuity, with more than three in four stating that their organisation is prepared to implement COVID-19 safety measures, according to the results of job site Indeed’s recent research.

More than half of surveyed employers (57%) also said that a “greater emphasis on health, hygiene and safety will be a permanent fixture in the post-COVID workplace,” and nearly seven in 10 claimed that improvement of flexible work options for workers in 2021 were underway.

Employers were “grateful to the people who kept their business afloat during the pandemic,” the study said, as 80% claimed employees pulling together throughout the year helped their organisations weather the crisis.

Singaporean employees were also found to be seeking security and stability from 2021 onwards, with 79% saying that having secure, stable jobs was one of their priorities in the coming year. One in three workers (36%) expressed passive interest towards new work opportunities, and 58% claimed that they would only switch jobs if the new role offered a higher pay.

Moreover, employers and employees (47% for both) agreed that the line between life and work has blurred, saying that “what used to be referred to as ‘work-life balance’ is rapidly becoming a work-life blend."

“Only one in three employees are pessimistic about the job market in 2021, but only three in ten employers are optimistic, signalling a possible mismatch of expectations between hirers and jobseekers in the coming year,” the research added.

Conducted by Censuswide, Indeed’s research polled 250 employers and 1,003 employees in Singapore.