Written Answer to PQ on Early-Career Workplace Experiences and Employee Engagement

NOTICE PAPER NO. 974 AND 976 OF 2026 FOR SITTING ON 7 JULY 2026
QUESTION NO. 2438 AND 2448 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Ms Cassandra Lee

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has studied the findings of the Singapore Workplace Report 2026 that workers under 35 are less engaged and more stressed than their older colleagues; and (b) whether these findings are assessed to be linked to uncertainty over career progression, skills relevance and long-term career prospects.
To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry tracks indicators relating to the quality of early-career workplace experiences, including onboarding, mentorship, managerial support and retention, among workers under 35 years of age; and (b) if so, whether any significant gaps in these indicators have been identified across industry sectors.

Answer:

We are aware of the Singapore Workplace Report 2026, produced by the Singapore Institute of Directors and Gallup, and we are studying its findings. MOM monitors a range of labour market and workplace indicators related to youth employment outcomes, including training participation, working conditions and labour productivity. We do not track the quality of onboarding, mentorship and managerial support even though they are important factors in early workplace experiences because these are difficult to measure consistently and reliably across firms and sectors.

2. MOM recognises the importance of encouraging positive early-career workplace experiences. We recently introduced the Singapore Opportunity Index (SOI), which assesses the extent to which larger firms create economic opportunities for their employees, in areas such as hiring, career progression, and retention. This supports employers to benchmark their workforce outcomes and review their strategies towards young talent.

3. MOM will continue to explore ways to better support young workers.