Singapore has Asia's highest proportion of adults in full-time work

Singapore

SINGAPORE has emerged top in Asia in terms of proportion of its adults in full-time employment (excluding those who are self-employed), with 48 per cent of adults in this type of work.

Among Asian economies, Hong Kong was second at 43 per cent and Taiwan, third with 42 per cent.

Gallup's 2018 Global Great Jobs Briefing, the findings of which were released on Wednesday, shows the distribution of high-quality jobs around the world and how those jobs improve work and life outcomes for businesses and employees alike.

Singapore also leads Asia in "full-time employment that engages workers", with 11 per cent of its adults fitting this description. This is followed by Mongolia (10 per cent) and the Philippines (9 per cent).

Gallup defined people as engaged at work as "highly involved in and enthusiastic about their work", who drive performance and innovation and move their organisation forward.

It added that research shows that across industries and countries, teams with highly engaged members are, on average, 17 per cent more productive than those with lower average engagement.

Globally, Singapore is third in terms of percentage of total adult population that are employed full-time and engaged at work. The US and Russia tie for first place with 13 per cent, while the United Arab Emirates is in second place with 12 per cent. Singapore shares third place with Kazakhstan and Panama.

Gallup said that, despite Singapore's strong overall job performance relative to other countries, it still has "a large engagement deficit".

It added that such engagement deficit has negative impact on employers and employees, productivity and staff retention.