Very few Singaporeans are satisfied with their pay: Study - Singapore News

SINGAPORE: Singapore workers are increasingly questioning whether their pay truly reflects their contributions, with a new survey showing that although many employees see their salaries as reasonable, far fewer are actually satisfied with what they earn.

According to Jobstreet by SEEK’s Salary Pulse: Singapore 2026 report released on Monday (May 25), Singapore recorded one of the lowest salary satisfaction levels in the Asia-Pacific region.

The job search platform surveyed 1,008 employees in Singapore aged between 18 and 64 from October last year to March this year. The findings revealed that nearly three-quarters of respondents believed their salaries were proportionate to their job responsibilities. However, only 37% said they were satisfied with their current pay.

The report noted that employees are no longer judging salaries based purely on income levels. Instead, workers are increasingly assessing whether their compensation reflects the value of their contributions, supports their desired lifestyle, and offers opportunities for career progression and advancement.

Even among employees who considered their salaries “reasonable,” dissatisfaction remained widespread. Seven in 10 respondents in this group still said they were unhappy with their compensation.

The survey also highlighted growing discomfort around salary negotiations. While one in two employees said they had asked for a pay rise, and 73% of them eventually received either a full or partial increment, confidence in initiating such conversations remained low.

Only 7% of respondents said they felt “very comfortable” asking for a raise. Women and junior employees were found to be the least comfortable when discussing salary increases with employers.

However, the findings suggested that experience improves confidence. Employees who had repeatedly negotiated for higher pay were generally more comfortable initiating future salary discussions.

Generational differences also emerged in how employees respond to dissatisfaction with pay. Younger workers were significantly more likely to reconsider their career paths if salary increments fell short of expectations.

Among Gen Z respondents, 29% said they would look for a new job if the pay rise was smaller than expected, while 25% of Millennials said the same. In comparison, only 20% of Gen X workers and 13% of Baby Boomers indicated they would consider leaving.

Younger employees were also more inclined to seek additional income streams outside their primary jobs. Six in 10 Gen Z respondents said they were considering starting a side hustle within the next 12 months.

The report also pointed to what it described as a “loyalty tax” in Singapore workplaces.

Although most employees received their latest pay increment from their current employer, workers who changed jobs were five times more likely to secure a significant salary increase of more than 10% compared with those who stayed with the same company.

More than one in five respondents also said they might leave their employer if their pay increment failed to meet expectations.

Jaslyn Koh, Head of Compensation and Benefits for Asia at Jobstreet by SEEK, said the issue was not necessarily that employees believed they were underpaid, but rather that they felt their efforts were going unrewarded.

She said many workers felt they were taking on greater workloads and responsibilities while remaining loyal to their organisations, yet were not seeing meaningful returns through higher salaries, promotions, or recognition.

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