Eighty per cent of employees in Singapore say their jobs do not match what was promised; 60% notice this mismatch within their first three months, according to Jobstreet by SEEK’s new report.
Conducted in partnership with Milieu Insight, the study of 800 employees and employers titled The Great Expectation Gap: Rethinking Work and Worth in Singapore, also found that 90% of employers say worker priorities change over time.
Job mismatch
Pay misalignment (24%), unclear roles (22%), and culture mismatch (19%) are the leading causes of job mismatch across all age groups.
Almost half (46%) of employees rank pay as their top priority, but 23% say they would compromise on it when job hunting.
Half of 49% of employees would trade prestige for culture, 30% would accept lower pay for balance, and 25% would give up flexibility for career growth.
Half of employees would not accept any pay cut, even for full flexibility (50%) or a four-day work week (49%).
Challenges
The report identified skills shortages (44%), salary expectations (41%), and budget pressures (39%)asthemain challenges employers face in Singapore.
According to the report, 46% of employers believe they meet employee expectations, citing benefits likereasonable working hours (55%), bonuses (52%), flexibility (43%), and career growth (36%), yet only 18% offer above-market salaries.
Bridging the gap
Yuh Yng Chook, director, Asia Sales and APAC Service, Jobstreet and Jobsdb by SEEK, said: “Employers believe they are being fair, and employees are already adapting — but their definitions of fairness don’t fully align. Bridging this gap begins with a clearer, shared understanding of what fairness means in a dynamic job market.”
To strengthen trust on both sides, Chook explained that employers and employees must consider factors such as “competitive pay, culture alignment, work-life balance, role clarity, and transparent communication”.
