S’pore workers are among the least confident in the world about job security
Only 15% of Singaporean workers feel safe from layoffs
Singaporean workers rank among the least confident in the world about their job security—and the numbers are strong. Only 15% of employees feel their role is safe from redundancy, according to ADP Research’s latest People at Work report.
Only four other markets rank lower than Singapore. In Europe, only 12% of workers in the Czech Republic feel secure in their jobs, while the remaining three are all from APAC—Taiwan (11%), South Korea (9%), and Japan, dead last at 5%.
| Level | The country | % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | in Nigeria | 38 |
| 2 | Egypt | 32 |
| 3 | India | 30 |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | 29 |
| 5 | garlic | 29 |
| 6 | South Africa | 28 |
| 7 | United States | 28 |
| 8 | in Chile | 27 |
| 9 | Mexico | 27 |
| 10 | In Austria | 27 |
| 11 | France | 26 |
| 12 | United Kingdom | 25 |
| 13 | Australia | 25 |
| 14 | Thailand | 24 |
| 15 | Spain | 24 |
| 16 | In Germany | 24 |
| 17 | Canada | 24 |
| 18 | Brazil | 23 |
| 19 | Philippines | 23 |
| 20 | United Arab Emirates | 22 |
| 21 | In Argentina | 22 |
| 22 | Poland | 21 |
| 23 | China | 20 |
| 24 | Indonesia | 20 |
| 25 | in Switzerland | 20 |
| 26 | Italy | 20 |
| 27 | Peru | 20 |
| 28 | In the Netherlands | 19 |
| 29 | New Zealand | 19 |
| 30 | Vietnam | 18 |
| 31 | in Sweden | 18 |
| 32 | Singapore | 15 |
| 33 | Czech Republic | 12 |
| 34 | Taiwan | 11 |
| 35 | South Korea | 9 |
| 36 | Japan | 5 |
While Singapore ranked at the bottom, the wider region fared less well, with only 18% of respondents across APAC saying they believed their jobs were safe from being terminated. Globally, the figure stands at 22%.
This comes despite global unemployment remaining at its lowest level in decades.
Jessica Zhang, Senior Vice President of APAC at ADP, said the results point to a disconnect between current labor market conditions and workers’ perceptions of their long-term job security.
“In Singapore, workers are not thinking about whether they have a job today, but whether their roles will remain relevant tomorrow. This growing uncertainty is becoming a defining characteristic of today’s workforce,” he said in a statement.
The official stressed the importance of clear communication and continued skills development efforts as concerns about job security grow.
Zhang said employers should be transparent about how roles are changing, what those changes mean for employees, and invest in ongoing training to help employees stay employable while improving productivity and efficiency.
Long hours, low participation
Singaporean workers also reported high rates of unpaid overtime.
Overall, 45% of Singaporean workers said they worked more than five unpaid hours a week, 35% said they spent six to 15 hours unpaid each week, and another 10% said they worked 16 or more hours unpaid each week.
The proportion of workers working six to 15 hours unpaid exceeded the APAC average of 30%, while the share working 16 hours or more unpaid was in line with the regional average of 10%.
At the same time, Singapore recorded the highest adoption rates for manufacturing AI. About 23% of workers say they use AI almost every day, while only 8% say they’ve never tried the technology.
Despite this, employee engagement levels in Singapore remain relatively low. Full-time employees account for 12% of the workforce in 2024 and 2025, below the APAC average of 15%.
ADP Research’s People at Work report collected responses from more than 39,000 older workers in 36 markets between Jul 21 and Aug 4, 2025.
In APAC, the survey included 13,136 respondents in multiple markets, including Singapore, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Read the full report here.
- Read other articles we have written on Singapore current affairs here.
Featured Image Credit: TK Kurikawa/ Shutterstock.com
