Fewer than one in five workers in Singapore believe their jobs are secure as fears around artificial intelligence and workplace disruption continue to grow, according to a new survey by ADP.
The company’s People at Work 2026 report found that only 15% of employees in Singapore feel confident about their job security. The figure sits below the Asia-Pacific average of 18% and the global average of 22%.
Singapore ranked among the least confident markets in the region. Only workers in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan reported lower levels of confidence.
Future fears
Jessica Zhang, senior vice-president for Asia-Pacific, ADP, said the findings highlight a growing disconnect between employment levels and how workers perceive their future.
“In Singapore, employees are not only thinking about whether they have a job today, but also whether their roles will remain relevant tomorrow,” she said.
She added that AI is reshaping workplaces by creating new roles while also transforming existing ones.
The findings were based on ADP’s annual Global Workforce Survey, which gathered responses from more than 39,000 working adults across 36 markets worldwide, including over 13,000 respondents from the Asia-Pacific region.
ADP noted that none of the surveyed markets had a majority of workers who felt secure in their jobs despite relatively low unemployment levels in many economies.
Young optimism
Workers aged between 18 and 26 emerged as the most optimistic group in Singapore.
Around 22% of younger employees said they felt secure in their roles, making them the most confident age group in the survey.
ADP said younger workers were also less likely to believe that changing jobs had become harder compared with older employees.
The confidence was even stronger among young graduates and degree holders.
Industry divide
Job security perceptions varied sharply depending on occupation type.
Knowledge workers in Singapore showed the highest confidence levels, with 21% saying they felt secure in their jobs. These employees are typically given greater freedom to apply expertise and create new solutions.
Confidence dropped to 12% among skilled task workers and just 10% among employees performing repetitive tasks daily.
The trend mirrored global patterns.
Workers in finance, insurance, healthcare, education and technology reported stronger confidence in their long-term prospects. Meanwhile, employees in transportation, warehousing, manufacturing, agriculture and food services were among the least confident.
Productivity risks
ADP warned that declining confidence could directly affect workplace productivity and retention.
Employees who felt secure in their jobs were six times more likely to be fully engaged at work and 3.3 times more likely to report higher productivity levels.
Workers worried about losing their jobs were found to be more stressed, less engaged and more likely to search for new opportunities.
“Job security has become a business issue, not just a workforce sentiment measure,” said Dr Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP.
She added that employers that “pair honest communication with meaningful skills investment” would be in a much stronger position to build a resilient workforce.
Skills investment
The report identified upskilling as a critical strategy for employers trying to reassure staff amid rapid technological change.
Employees who believed they had the skills needed to progress in their careers were five times more likely to feel secure in their jobs.
Workers who felt their employers invested in their professional development were 5.3 times more likely to express confidence in their long-term job stability.
Globally, only 26% of workers said they felt confident they possessed the skills needed to advance in their careers.
Dr Richardson said employers would need to invest in both “technology-based and people-based skills” to fully unlock AI’s potential.
She added that companies which keep “employees at the centre of change” would be better placed to build an “AI-powered and fully engaged workforce”.