Too burnt out? SG workers have the worst mental health in Southeast Asia

Singapore’s workforce has the poorest mental health in Southeast Asia, a joint study by consumer research company, Milieu Insight, and Intellect, has found.

The study found that 50% of employees across the region have felt burnt out from work at least a few times a month, whilst 41% said they “often” or “always” feel as though they cannot stop thinking about work.

Employees are pushing themselves at work to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones (58%), achieve a sense of accomplishment (53%) and earn more income (50%). With fear of not being able to do well as their peers, young employees in Singapore aged 16 to 24 (30%) also feel the need to work harder, according to the study.

Whilst spending too much time at work, 26% are dissatisfied with their jobs, and only 42% are highly engaged at work.

Commenting on the findings, Intellect Co-founder & CEO of Intellect, Theodoric Chew, said: “While companies may be hesitant to invest in more robust wellbeing initiatives such as coaching or counselling, it is a necessary step in building workforce mental resilience.”

Read the full feature on Singapore Business Review.

Insights from this study were featured on the second episode of Milieu Conversations, which discussed hustle culture and how companies and employees can work together to achieve healthier working cultures. The panel includes Edoardo Liotta, journalist and editor at Rice Media, and Sally Mounir, psychotherapist and counsellor with Intellect. Watch the full episode here.

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