Only 15% of workers in Singapore feel safe from job cuts

Singapore workers rank among the least confident in the world about their job security—and the numbers are stark. Just 15% of employees feel their role is safe from elimination, 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 in APAC—Taiwan (11%), South Korea (9%), and Japan, dead last at just 5%.

While Singapore ranked low, the broader region fared only slightly better, with just 18% of respondents across APAC saying they believed their jobs were safe from elimination. Globally, the figure stood at 22%.

This comes despite worldwide 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 labour market conditions and employees’ perceptions of their long-term job security.

“In Singapore, employees are not thinking about whether they have a job today, but also whether their roles will remain relevant tomorrow. This growing uncertainty is becoming a defining feature of today’s workforce,” she said in a statement.

The executive stressed the importance of clearer communication and continued upskilling efforts as concerns over job security grow.

Zhang said employers should be more transparent about how roles are changing, what those shifts mean for employees, and invest in ongoing training to help workers stay employable while boosting productivity and efficiency.

Long hours, low engagement

Singapore workers also reported high levels of unpaid overtime.

Overall, 45% of workers in Singapore said they clocked more than five unpaid hours a week, with 35% saying they put in between six and 15 unpaid hours each week, while another 10% said they worked 16 or more unpaid hours weekly.

The proportion of workers doing six to 15 unpaid hours exceeded the APAC average of 30%, while the share working 16 or more unpaid hours was in line with the regional average of 10%.

At the same time, Singapore recorded relatively high levels of generative AI adoption. Around 23% of workers said they used AI almost every day, while just 8% said they had never tried the technology.

Despite this, employee engagement levels in Singapore remained relatively low. Fully engaged workers accounted for 12% of the workforce in both 2024 and 2025, below the APAC average of 15%.

ADP Research’s People at Work report gathered responses from more than 39,000 adult workers in 36 markets between Jul 21 and Aug 4, 2025.

In APAC, the survey covered 13,136 respondents across multiple markets, including Singapore, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

• Read the full report here.
• Read other articles we’ve written on Singapore’s current affairs here.

Featured Image Credit: TK Kurikawa/ Shutterstock.com