Asian survey shows S'pore workers 'least committed'

Asian survey shows S'pore workers 'least committed'

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singaporeans are the least committed workers to their employers among Asian work forces, while Filipinos and South Koreans are the most loyal, a research organization said Monday.

Asia Market Intelligence (AMI) said a poll of nearly 1,700 respondents in nine countries showed that Singaporeans were most likely to switch jobs because of a serious shortage of skilled workers in the city-state.

Deregulation of key sectors and the burgeoning Internet or "dotcom" industry are also to blame as Singaporeans ditch steady jobs to join rival firms or start-up companies.

"It comes as no surprise then that Singaporean employees are the most uncommitted workers in the region -- not because of dissatisfaction with their careers or employers, but because of the huge array of choices and opportunities available elsewhere," the Hong Kong-based AMI said.

The January survey conducted in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand revealed that nearly one-quarter of the workers planned to change jobs in two years.

Audrey Tan, managing director of AMI in Singapore, said in a statement that "it's a worker's market right now, not an employer's market."

"Deregulation of industries such as finance and telecommunications have contributed to the shortage. We can expect many defections or cross-industry migrations, especially for marketing professionals," she said.

Tan also commented that "many workers are also moving into dotcoms, as this is the most obvious area."

Korean workers had the highest marks for loyalty to their companies, with 51 percent classified as "truly loyal."

The survey indicated Singaporeans had little to complain about, but simply spoiled for choice.

Seventy-two percent of Singaporeans felt their companies treat staff fairly, the highest among the nine work forces polled, and 70 percent said they were paid fairly.

In terms of satisfaction and commitment, Hong Kong and mainland China workers were a pretty unhappy lot, with Taiwanese coming close, AMI said.

Only 12 percent of Hong Kong and Chinese workers felt they were "part of the family" - and only 15 percent of Taiwanese believed their company "deserves my loyalty."