Singapore workers lag global, regional peers in workplace engagement; under-35s more disaffected, study finds

This is even more important for Singapore as its economy is highly services-oriented, and the impact of worker engagement is greater in service-intensive industries, the report said.

Disengagement at work likely costs Singapore’s economy billions of dollars annually, added the report. It cited a cost of US$10 trillion (S$13 trillion) to the global economy from lost productivity due to low engagement in 2025, or about 9 per cent of global GDP.

Mr Dinesh stressed that good jobs and engaged workplaces are built deliberately.

The dimensions of good jobs set out strategic directions for organisations, while measures of employee engagement allow firms to find opportunities to do more to bring out the best in their workers, he said.

Engagement benefits both workers and employers, and for Singapore, an engaged workforce can be a powerful engine of sustained economic growth and social cohesion, he said.

Gallup’s 2025 survey of employee engagement in Singapore was conducted through phone interviews with about 1,000 workers between June and July last year.

Singapore’s workplace engagement numbers were calculated on a three-year rolling average, while the global and regional figures are based on a single year.

GENERATIONAL DIVIDE

A generational gap is also evident in Singapore as younger employees under 35 felt less engaged and more negatively at work than older employees aged 35 and above.