Singaporean firms need to work hard to improve their employee engagement and satisfaction, new study revealed. The findings from Mercer’s Singapore Employee Engagement Index indicated that employee engagement in the country has been declining consistently over the last three years, suggesting significant contrast compared to the upward trend observed in employee engagement across the globe.

With only 72 percent, employees in Singapore are the least satisfied workforce in the Asia Pacific region. Meanwhile, 82 percent of their counterparts in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam are contented with the companies they work for. Singaporeans are also less likely to endorse their organisations as good employers. As much as 76 percent employees in the region would advocate their companies as good places to work, while only 67 percent employees in Singapore are willing to do so.

Additionally, only 63 percent respondents feel their career goals can be met by their current employers.

Peta Latimer, CEO of Mercer in Singapore said in the report, “Improving employee engagement continues to represent a significant opportunity — not just for businesses but also for the economy as a whole, as we prepare for the future of work.”

She added, “Many find the culture of their organizations limiting, unable to fully express themselves even though they may feel a sense of pride in working there. Companies must foster a culture of empowerment, one where every employee feels included and appreciated.”

However, the study involving 45,000 employees in Singapore noted that high level of employee engagement does not necessarily ensure employee’s enthusiasm to actively contribute for the organisation. Even among the engaged workers, only a small percentage are reportedly enthusiastic about going above and beyond their scope of work to help their companies thrive. Only 70 percent employees feel they have enough opportunity to continually learn and grow despite the growing emphasis and investment on learning and development at most organisations today.

“Engagement represents the best opportunity for Singapore to optimize the human capital it has. If performance and productivity are a combination of individual talent and engagement, the best way to optimize talent is to ensure it’s engaged. Although this seems obvious, many organizations still struggle to build the work environment they need to fully realize engagement in the workplace,” concluded Ms. Latimer.

Read also: Jobseekers Value Future Career Growth over Salary