Singapore among top 5 countries with highest percentage of adults in good jobs

According to the 2018 Global Great Jobs Briefing by Gallup, Singapore leads Asia in adult full-time employment for an employer, with 48% of adults having this type of work. Following in second place is Hong Kong at 43% and Taiwan coming in third at 42%. 

On that note, the top 10 countries globally with the highest percentag of adults in good jobs are:

1. United Arab Emirates (69%)
2. Bahrain (59%)
3. Estonia (49%)
4. Russia (49%)
5. Singapore (48%)
6. Iceland (47%)
7. Belarus (47%)
8. Sweden (47%)
9. Slovakia (46%)
10. Israel (46%)

Furthermore, the report stated that gaps in the availability of good jobs around the world highlight a desperate need to promote job growth in many countries. It said: “But if all countries, societies and employers want to fully develop their human capital and maximise their productivity, they can’t stop at creating good jobs — they need to create great jobs that allow individuals to make the most of their time and talents.”

With that said, Singapore leads the region in full-time employment that engages workers, with 11% of adults fitting this description. People who are engaged at work are highly involved in and enthusiastic about their work. They drive performance and innovation and move their organisation forward. The Gallup research shows that, across industries and countries, teams with highly engaged members are, on average, 17% more productive than those with lower average engagement.

In the report, it stated: “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for most of the good jobs available in more economically developed countries, while less developed countries are home to few large employers and few SMEs. Because of the lack of good jobs in less developed countries, many residents resort to subsistence activities that do little to raise per-person productivity.”

Despite Singapore’s strong overall job performance relative to other countries, it still suffers from a large engagement deficit however. The report stated that this engagement deficit has negative impacts on employers and employees in Singapore, lowering productivity and retention as well as depressing workers’ well-being.

It advises business leaders in Singapore to be particularly concerned about engagement if they want to fully develop their human capital.

On another note, the report showed that men in every region and nearly every country are more likely than women to be working full time for an employer, and adults with more education typically are more likely to have these good jobs than those with less education - regardless of economic development level.

It stated: “The gender gap in good jobs largely reflects women’s lower rate of participation in the workforce worldwide — particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. But these gaps remain even among women who are participating in the workforce and those with higher levels of education — further exposing the need to focus on human capital development in these regions.”

Lead Photo / Gallup

Table / Gallup