Singapore's under-35 workers show alarming disaffection and low engagement

Only 10 per cent of Singaporean workers under 35 report feeling engaged at work, a rate significantly lower than their older colleagues and global averages. revealing a profound disconnect in the nation's future workforce. Overall, only 14 per cent of the Singapore workforce is engaged, a figure that has stagnated since 2019 and is below the South-east Asia regional average of 25 per cent and the global average of 20 per cent, according to The Straits Times.

Singapore prides itself on its economic dynamism and skilled labor, but its workforce engagement has stagnated at a mere 14%, well below regional and global benchmarks. posing a critical challenge to productivity and innovation.

Based on the pervasive disengagement and identified management shortcomings, Singaporean companies risk a sustained decline in productivity and a growing talent exodus if systemic issues are not addressed promptly.

The Disaffected Youth: Singapore's Under-35 Workforce

• Singapore workers aged under 35 report lower engagement and more daily stress than their older colleagues, according to The Straits Times.
• Younger employees report an engagement rate of just 10 per cent, compared with 16 per cent among those aged 35 and older, also from The Straits Times.

The disparity in engagement rates reveals a critical generational divide in workplace satisfaction. Singapore's future workforce starts their careers with lower connection and higher stress. The current work environment fails to motivate and actively harms the mental well-being of this crucial talent pool.

A Crisis of Leadership: Management's Role in Disengagement

Organizations fail to select people with the right talent for management roles 82% of the time, according to Businesstimes Com Sg. representing a fundamental flaw in leadership selection. Employees are often led by individuals ill-equipped to foster positive, productive work environments. Singaporean companies actively undermine their own future by promoting ineffective leaders, directly contributing to the nation's stagnant and dangerously low workforce engagement.