Many fear salaries not growing competitively, says expert
Nearly a third of employees in Singapore said they want better compensation and benefits from their employers this 2025 amid rising costs of living, according to a new report from Indeed.
The report found that 32% of employees cite better compensation and benefits as the most important change they'd like to see in the workplace this year.
Employees also want to see flexible work arrangements (22%), as well as clearer career development and advancement pathways at work (21%).
The desire for better compensation comes as 24% of employees in Singapore want to boost their earning potential this year, according to the report.
In fact, 56% of employees said they are currently pursuing or considering additional paid work to increase their earning capacity and to protect themselves from potential job losses.
Rachel Townsley, Marketing Director (Australia, India & Singapore) at Indeed, said the findings come as some workers still feel that their salaries have not caught up with rising costs of living.
"The anxiety is likely contributing to their discontent towards compensation in 2025, with fears that their salaries are not growing competitively," Townsley said in a statement. "In fact, one in four employees (25%) feel that having a competitive salary or hike will be one of the biggest career obstacles in 2025."
Employers in Singapore have budgeted an average salary increase of 4.4% this 2025, according to Aon's recent survey, which also found that attrition rate in the country reached 16.7% in the past year.
But employees' desires aren't limited to higher income, according to the report. It found that 19% of employees also want to earn more in their jobs while doing something they love.
"Our research shows while competitive salaries remain top of mind, the hustle of today's competitive working environment has prompted many workers to rethink the 'why' in their jobs," Townsley said.
As a result, 56% of employees are planning to invest in training or courses to upskill this year, with the most in-demand specialised skills being leadership and emotional intelligence.
"We are seeing the workforce become more intentional in the kind of skills they pick up," Townsley said. "Attention to an employee's skills and their career purpose are areas that employers must keep in mind when they recruit talent."
Upskilling has been one of the major priorities of employees over the past years, especially following the introduction of generative AI in the workplace.
Enrolments for generative AI courses surged by 240% in Singapore because of the technology's growing at work, according to findings from Coursera.