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Singapore’s Young Workers are Disengaging Faster than their Peers in the Region, Gallup-SID Study Finds

Workers under 35 show a generational engagement gap three times wider than the global average, as inaugural Singapore Workplace Report 2026 reveals only 14 per cent of the workforce is engaged

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SINGAPORE – Monday, 22 June 2026 The Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) and Gallup today released the inaugural Singapore Workplace Report 2026: Powering Singapore's Future, revealing that only 14 per cent of Singapore's workforce is engaged at work – well below the Southeast Asia average of 25 per cent and the global mean of 20 per cent. The finding is especially acute among younger workers, pointing to a generational divide that leaders can no longer afford to ignore.

A lost opportunity

In 2025, 86 per cent of Singapore’s workforce was disengaged, costing the economy an estimated US$73.6 billion (approximately S$95 billion) in lost productivity annually. With GDP growth forecast to slow to 2–4 per cent in 2026, the report argues that low engagement is transitioning from a cultural concern to a strategic liability.

“Workforce engagement, organisational culture and leadership capability are strategic priorities directly linked to productivity, innovation, resilience and sustainable growth. Boards must play an active role in building workplace cultures fit for the future.” – Yeoh Oon Jin, Chair, Singapore Institute of Directors

The report sets out four priorities for Singapore's leaders: building manager capability, aligning organisational culture with day-to-day employee experience, repositioning HR as a strategic function, and maximising talent density across all age groups and career stages.

A generational crisis, not a character flaw

Workers under 35 years report an engagement rate of just 10 per cent, compared to 16 per cent among those aged 35 and over – a six-point gap nearly three times wider than the two-point global equivalent. Stress levels among younger Singaporeans are also sharply elevated: 53 per cent report experiencing daily stress, versus 37 per cent of their older colleagues.

The report, which draws on Gallup’s global workplace research and in-depth interviews with 16 senior Singapore leaders, challenges the popular narrative that younger workers are simply less committed. Leaders pointed instead to structural conditions: a high cost of living, national service obligations, constrained career pathways and a competitive labour market that bears down hardest on those yet to establish financial security.

The report delves into the specific forces widening this divide. It finds that most organisations make minimal effort to adapt working practices for younger employees – leaders scored this at just 3.25 out of 5, with no respondent strongly agreeing their organisation does this well. Younger workers, the report finds, expect a “productive and protective” relationship with their manager: direct, efficient and genuinely developmental. Most managers are not equipped to deliver it.

The report also identifies an emerging AI career stage split, where generative AI is eliminating the repetitive, entry-level work that has traditionally given junior employees their foundational skills – raising the risk of a generation of mid-career professionals who were never given the building blocks needed to progress.

“They're just different, and they need to be engaged differently – but I see more gaps on our end. The challenges are very different to when we entered the workforce.” – Senior leader, global management consultancy

The manager is the bridge

Gallup’s research is unambiguous: 70 per cent of the variance in team engagement is attributable to the direct manager. Yet, Singapore leaders rated their organisations’ manager effectiveness at just 3.32 out of 5, and their leadership pipeline strength even lower at 3.05.

Organisations continue to promote top individual contributors into management roles without adequate preparation or support – and reward managers for personal performance rather than team development. The cost is measurable: disengaged Singapore employees report daily stress at twice the rate of their engaged counterparts and are three times more likely to experience daily anger.

“The generational engagement gap is not a values gap or a work ethic gap – it is a management gap. Singapore’s younger workers are entering workplaces are managed by people who were promoted for technical excellence rather than people leadership. The right manager can transform engagement at any age. Closing Singapore’s generational divide starts with building a generation of managers who know how to coach, develop and genuinely see the individuals on their teams.” – Kanika Singh, Regional Director, Gallup Singapore

Wellbeing programmes are not enough

Most organisations offer flexible working and wellness days – yet leaders rated their ability to prevent chronic work overload at just 2.93 out of 5, the lowest score in the entire leadership survey. The report concludes that wellbeing initiatives treat symptoms rather than causes, and calls for structural fixes to role clarity, workload and spans of control instead.

Turning insight into action

To equip directors with the capabilities required to govern workforce issues strategically, SID is working with Singapore Management University (SMU) to launch a new module on Strategic Human Capital Stewardship in the fourth quarter of 2026, as part of the SID-SMU Directorship Programme. This is aimed at providing directors with practical frameworks and governance tools to oversee people, leadership and culture as drivers of long-term organisational value.

Looking ahead to the implementation of the Workplace Fairness Act in 2027, SID is also working with the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices to help boards understand that workplace fairness is not simply an HR compliance matter, but a critical component of governance, risk and culture for organisational resilience.

Through education and thought leadership initiatives, such as the inaugural Singapore Workplace Report, boards should view workplace culture, fairness and inclusion as core elements of long-term organisational resilience and sustainable performance.

 

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About the Report
The Singapore Workplace Report 2026 is produced by the Singapore Institute of Directors and Gallup, drawing on the Gallup World Poll, 16 senior leader interviews and a facilitated SID leadership roundtable. Available at sid.org.sg and gallup.com.

About Gallup
Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 90 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of the world’s constituents than any other organization.

About Singapore Institute of Directors
The Singapore Institute of Directors is the national association for company directors in Singapore. Its mission is to empower directors and transform boards to achieve its vision of “Every Director A Champion of Good Governance”. Since 1998, the Institute has been advancing thought leadership and advocacy through publications, research and awards; building competencies through professional development and director accreditation; and connecting and strengthening the ecosystem through networking and board appointment services. As an independent nonprofit organisation, its work is supported by partners of the SID Governance for Good Alliance and more than 5,500 members, 80% of whom are directors.
www.sid.org.sg

For further queries, please contact: 
Luffa Khnom-Ramsden 
Regional Marketing Director for EMEA & APAC 
Gallup 
E: [email protected]

Yang Wai Wai
Vice President, Thought Leadership and Communications
Singapore Institute of Directors
E: [email protected]

Shawn Liew
Content Manager
The Nutgraf
E: [email protected]