VNExpress/Mothership/AsiaOne-Mar 5
Workers in Singapore are the second unhappiest in the Asia-Pacific region, contrasting with their ASEAN peers, who ranked as the happiest, a survey has found. Some 56% of employees in Singapore said they feel somewhat or extremely happy at work, according to a survey by Seek, which runs job portals including JobStreet in Singapore and JobsDB in Hong Kong. Seek surveyed 1,000 respondents aged 18 to 64 in Singapore between October and November last year. It also polled workers in Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. The other Southeast Asian countries surveyed lead the broader region in workplace happiness. Indonesia ranked highest with 82% of respondents saying they feel somewhat or extremely happy at work, followed by the Philippines at 77%, Malaysia at 70% and Thailand at 67%. In Singapore, nearly half of surveyed workers said they feel burnt out or exhausted, according to Mothership. Notably, 41% of those who described themselves as happy also reported experiencing burnout. Of these, 51% earn over S$6,000 (US$4,714) a month. Men (63%) and parents (66%) were also more likely to say they feel burnt out despite being happy at work. Higher pay topped the wishlist when respondents were asked what could improve their happiness at work, with 64% placing it in their top five priorities, AsiaOne reported. However, the study found that long-term happiness at work is shaped by other considerations. For those in Singapore, a sense of purpose ranked as the strongest driver, followed by career progression opportunities and satisfaction with their day-to-day roles. Among Gen Z workers aged 18 to 29, flexible working arrangements ranked first, followed by career progression and salary. Read more at:
