Only 22% of workers globally strongly agree that their job is safe from elimination, according to the first chapter of ADP Research’s latest People at Work 2026 report.
Despite relatively low unemployment in many markets, no country surveyed reports a majority of workers who feel confident about their job security. These findings, among others, emphasise the opportunity for employers to reimagine their talent strategies and provide clarity to their employees, as advances in artificial intelligence and changing demographics bring new challenges and opportunities to the workforce.
Across Asia Pacific, 18% of respondents feel that their jobs are safe, which represents the lowest share across all regions. Only less than one-fifth (15%) of Singapore’s workers echo the sentiment, reinforcing a disconnect between employment conditions and workers’ confidence in their long-term job security.
“AI is reshaping work at the task level, creating new job categories while transforming existing ones. The findings highlight a clear gap between actual employment conditions and how secure workers feel about their future,” said Jessica Zhang, Senior Vice President of APAC at ADP.
“In Singapore, employees are not thinking about whether they have a job today, but also whether their roles will remain relevant tomorrow. This growing uncertainty is becoming a defining feature of today’s workforce.”
“For employees, continuously building relevant skills will be critical to staying competitive in a changing job market.
“For employers, this means clearly communicating how roles are expected to evolve, what those changes mean for their workforce, and investing in ongoing training to help employees maintain their employability while improving productivity and efficiency.”
Productivity and retention shaped by job security
Globally, the report finds that workers who feel their jobs are secure are twice as likely to say they have no intention of leaving. Job security is also closely linked to employee performance.
Workers who feel their jobs are secure are six times more likely to be fully engaged and 3.3 times more likely to report high productivity.
“Job security has become a business issue, not just a workforce sentiment measure,” said Dr. Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “When employees feel confident about their future with an organisation, they are more likely to stay committed, perform at their best and contribute more effectively. Employers that pair honest communication with meaningful skills investment will be in a much stronger position to build a resilient workforce.”
Confidence in job security varies across workforce in Singapore
While workers’ confidence in their job security remains low overall, the sentiment varies across age, work types, and firm sizes. Younger workers are the most confident within Singapore’s workforce, with 22% of those aged 18 – 26 years old agreeing that their jobs are safe, the highest share across all age groups.
Job scope also plays a role in Singapore, with knowledge workers (21%) the most likely to report confidence in their job security compared to skilled task (12%) and repetitive task workers (10%).
Across firm sizes, workers from medium-sized organisations (250 – 999 employees) report the highest confidence levels, while those in small-sized organisations (1 – 249 employees) report the lowest.
