Discover invaluable insights to improve your employees’ experience
We aim to provide some of the answers following one of the largest international surveys of its kind. This ADP Research Institute® study provides insights into the hopes, desires and needs of over 34,600 workers in 18 countries.
While 40% of workers globally report being regularly underpaid, most people (37%) are working six to 10 hours per week for free – that’s at least three full days a month.
25% of respondents around the world work more than one job. 42% do so to earn enough to live on, 31% to finance a better lifestyle, 23% to fund retirement and 21% to repay debt.
Once again, people are more likely to say they feel supported by colleagues than by their managers when it comes to mental health at work. 75% of 18- to 24-year-olds say their work suffers due to stress — the highest of any age group surveyed.
Nearly a third (28%) of the world’s workers think AI will replace some of their existing functions, while around a fifth believe the new technology will save them time every day.
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An economic powerhouse, the Asia Pacific region has a reputation for hard work, with many employees working two jobs to finance a better lifestyle.
Our research in Australia, China, India, Singapore and Japan shows that the region is ahead of others in many ways. For example, only 12% here say their employer isn’t doing anything to help with mental health — a much lower figure than in other regions. Similarly, just 38% of workers are ‘always, often or sometimes’ underpaid (much lower than in Europe where the average is 50%).
Organisations in this region are also more likely to participate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. And despite recent economic and geopolitical events, our research reveals a great many positives, from flexible working to career progression — though there are marked differences between some countries.
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The good news is that fewer workers in this region experience stress every day at work than their global counterparts, and employers here are more likely to be acting to help with staff’s mental health. In fact, two-thirds agree that their employer supports their mental wellbeing, much higher than in Europe, for example.
Slightly fewer workers are expecting a pay rise this year than last, but almost half expect a bonus — so employers should take note. However, the average pay rise (4.28%) is well behind what workers in the region were expecting (8.54%). Just over a quarter also said their wages remained unchanged.
People are clocking up 8.48 hours unpaid overtime a week — a lot more than Europe (6.31) and North America (7.75). In India, staff are working an extra 10.39 hours a week, higher than any other country in our survey. Of those working excessive extra hours (more than 26 extra a week), most are in India but Japan is not far behind.
Workers in the region place more importance on career progression than their peers globally. On average 67% of employees are happy with their career progression and 74% of workers in India say they’re satisfied — yet only 32% say the same in Japan. Over two-thirds say they talk about career progression with their employer (well ahead of Europe at 46%).
Employers here are the most likely to participate in at least one diversity initiative, a result driven by India and China, where almost all workers say their employers are engaged. The region also had the largest share of respondents who think their employer has improved on diversity and inclusion: 51% compared to the global average of 48%.
Workers in Japan are the least content with their salary, career progression and flexibility of hours and location. They’re also far less likely to be happy with training and development and enjoyment of a day’s work. On average 67% in Asia Pacific think they’re paid fairly for their skillset but this falls to just 40% in Japan. In India the figure is almost double at 74%.
