But one in five say mental health support not a consideration in evaluating new roles: report
A new six-nation study has revealed that Singapore workers are the least likely in Southeast Asia to prioritise mental health benefits when considering new roles, despite feeling the most unsupported in this area.
The research—conducted by Intellect and Milieu Insight across 6,000 full-time workers—found that 56% of Singaporean employees believe their mental wellbeing is not well supported by their current employer. This is the highest rate across all countries surveyed, ahead of Thailand (50%).
At the same time, only 8% of Singapore respondents said mental health support was the most important factor in their job search—the lowest among all nations polled, and well below the regional average of 16%.
Notably, 18% of Singaporeans said mental health support wasn’t a consideration at all when evaluating new roles.
Despite growing awareness around workplace wellbeing, burnout remains widespread. One in two employees in Singapore reported feeling exhausted, with many also experiencing mental distance, negativity, and anxiety related to work. The top three sources of stress cited were heavy workloads (33%), poor leadership (33%), and tight deadlines (31%).
While external benefits such as employee assistance programmes are increasingly common, the study shows employees place more value on internal factors—especially leadership and workplace culture.
“Employers in Southeast Asia are starting to make mental health benefits accessible, but an Employee Assistance Programme is not the be-all and end-all,” said Theodoric Chew, Co-Founder and CEO of Intellect. “These benefits need to be reinforced by strong leadership, supportive policies, and a culture that prioritises wellbeing.”
In Singapore, the main sources of workplace support were:
Direct managers (34%)
Organisational policies (27%)
Senior leadership (18%)
Colleagues (15%)
HR (only 6%)
Worryingly, the study found that 55% of Singapore employees did not use any tools or resources to support their mental health in the past year—pointing to a major engagement gap between employer offerings and employee uptake.
The findings suggest that a workplace’s internal environment plays a far more decisive role in retaining talent than external perks. Employees in Singapore are most influenced by the quality of leadership, access to flexible working arrangements, and day-to-day team support.
Kelvin Li, CFO and Co-Founder of Milieu Insight, added: "Workplace culture, leadership, and flexibility now play a critical role in career decisions, and companies that fail to address these areas may struggle with retention and engagement, even if they offer competitive pay."
While pay still matters, the trade-off for mental health support appears lower in Singapore than in neighbouring markets. On average, Singaporean workers would require a 20% salary increase to consider a role lacking mental health benefits—compared to the regional average of 29%.
With only 52% of Singaporeans satisfied in their current jobs—and over half saying they lack work-life balance—these insights suggest a growing disconnect between what employers are offering and what employees need to thrive.
The message is clear: for organisations in Singapore, investing in leadership development and fostering psychologically safe, people-first cultures may be the most effective way to boost engagement and retention.
