Singapore leads in hybrid work adoption, followed by Vietnam and India
Hybrid work access remains limited in the Asia-Pacific region despite strong demand from employees, according to a new report from Reeracoen and Rakuten Insight Global.
The report, which drew on insights from more than 12,000 professionals across 12 Asia-Pacific economies, found that only 46% of workers have access to hybrid work models.
This is despite 72% of employees saying they want hybrid work.
"Flexibility has become a baseline expectation across APAC," the report read.
Singapore, where employers are mandated to consider formal requests for flexible work, leads APAC with 68% of employers offering access to hybrid work.
This is followed by Vietnam (65%), India (61%), and Indonesia (59%).
On the other hand, South Korea and Japan fall behind, with only 33% of their employers adopting hybrid work arrangements.
Singapore 'ahead of the curve'
Kenji Naito, Group CEO of Reeracoen, said Singapore is not only leading in flexibility, but is also ahead in other aspects that employees demand.
"Flexibility, purpose, and learning are no longer perks. They are expectations," Naito said in a statement. "Singapore is ahead of the curve on many of these fronts and offers a powerful case study for the region."
As a result, only 43% of Singaporeans are open to relocating overseas, indicating local loyalty, despite 25% of them expecting pay raises of 10% or more, according to the report.
Among the other expectations from Singaporean employees is an organisation's corporate social responsibility (CSR). It found that 79% of Singaporeans consider a company's CSR and ESG efforts in deciding where to work.
"Sustainable practices and purpose-led work cultures are no longer optional," said Shoichi Sunaga, Branch Manager of Reeracoen Singapore, in a statement. "Today's candidates are actively screening for them."
Meanwhile, Singaporeans' career top drivers are salary (82%), skill development (67%), and work-life balance (61%).
Cheryl Ng, Country Director, Singapore at Rakuten Insight, said understanding these drivers is a "non-negotiable competitive advantage."
"Such critical shifts shaping the future of work inform us how to balance cost efficiency while upholding core values and successfully attracting and retaining key talent," Ng said in a statement.
