Singapore Employee Advocacy Falls 13% With Rising Cost Of Living
In Q3 2026, 51% of Singapore employees are likely to recommend their workplace to others, down from 64% in the previous quarter.
The share of employees in Singapore willing to recommend their organisation as a place to work fell to 51% in the third quarter of 2026, down 13% from 64% in the previous quarter. The decline comes amid rising cost-of-living concerns and growing worries about jobs and unemployment, according to the latest Blackbox Research survey.
The latest report covers 1,533 Singapore citizens and permanent residents between September 24 and 30, 2026. Respondents were asked whether they would recommend their organisation as a place to work. Some 51% gave a score of 8 or higher out of 10.
Concerns about jobs and unemployment also increased during the quarter. According to an HRD Asia report, some 21% of respondents ranked them among their top 2 national and community concerns, up from 18% in the previous quarter.
Public ratings of the government’s performance on jobs and unemployment also declined. The share rating its performance as good or excellent fell to 56% from 62%.
The findings follow Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower’s labour market report for the second quarter of 2026, released in September. Resident employment growth slowed to 2,200 in the quarter, from 5,400 in the first quarter. Overall unemployment remained low at 1.9% in June.
Retrenchments rose from 3,830 in the first quarter to 4,620 in the second. The increase was driven by business reorganisation and restructuring in manufacturing, information and communications, and financial services. Job vacancies also fell from 73,300 in March to 68,600 in June.
“Overall, the labour market remained resilient in 2Q 2026, with continued employment growth and low unemployment,” the Ministry of Manpower said. However, it noted that conditions had become less favourable for some resident workers as employment growth slowed and retrenchments increased.
The ministry’s business expectations polls for July 2026 pointed to a positive but cautious outlook. The share of firms planning to hire over the next 3 months rose from 43.9% in June to 48.7% in July. However, the share planning wage increases fell from 29.3% to 27.9%.
Cost-of-living pressures also intensified. Half of respondents ranked living costs among their 2 most important issues, up from 41% in the second quarter. The concern was particularly great among people aged 40–49, with 64% identifying it as a top issue.
“Recent global disruptions across key areas are starting to hit home hard,” said David Black, founder and CEO of Blackbox Research.
“People experience the economy through their bills, their pay and their everyday spending. When everyday costs rise and the outlook at work feels less certain, positive national growth figures only offer so much reassurance,” he added.
Despite these concerns, confidence in Singapore’s overall direction remained high. However, the share expressing confidence fell from 87% in the second quarter to 82% in the third quarter.