2025workmonitorasiapacificedition

anewworkplacebaseline.

2

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

workmonitor2025

contents.

3

foreword

5

keyfindings

13

lookingahead

14

aboutthesurvey

15

appendix

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

foreword.

Anewworkplacebaselineisemerging—wheresuccessisdefinednotjustbywhatwedo,butbywhywedoit,howwedoitandwhowedoitwith.

TheRandstadWorkmonitor,nowinits

22-edition,explorestheviewsoftheworkforcein35marketsacrossEurope,Asia-PacificandtheAmericas.

Throughthiscomprehensivestudy,wewanttohearandsharethevoiceoftalentaboutwhat

theywantandexpectfromtheiremployersandhowwillingtheyaretoaskforit.

Thestudyconceptualisesandmeasuresthegapbetweentherealityandwishesoftheglobal

andlocalworkforceandtrackshowthischangesovertime.

Asyouexplorethefindingsinthisreport,we

encourageyoutoconsiderhowtheinsightscaninformyourtalentstrategies.

“Talentexpectationshaveevolvedtobecomemorecomplexandindividualistic,requiringcompaniestotakeanevenmore

personalisedapproachtowardstalentattractionandengagement.

Anewworkplacebaselineisemerging—wheresuccessisdefinednotjustbywhatwedo,butbywhywedoit,howwedoitandwhowedoitwith.Employersshouldshifttheirfocusfromviewingtheirworkforceasacollectivetounderstandingandaddressingtheir

uniqueneedsasindividuals.Embracingthisstrategicshiftis

essentialforcompanieslookingtothriveintheevolvingtalent

landscape.Byfocusingonwhatmattersmosttotoday'sworkforce,employerscanbetterattractandretaintherighttalentwiththerightmindset.”

kajetanslonina

chiefexecutiveasiapacific

workmonitor20254

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

frankoerlemans

chiefmarketingofficerasiapacific

“Amidtalentscarcity,attractingandengagingGenZtalenthas

becomeatoppriorityformanyemployers.Already,GenZmakesuparound20%oftheworkforceinmanymarkets,andthereisstrong

competitionforthisgenerationoftalent.

However,GenZ’stalentexpectationsarelargelyleftunmetas

employersstruggletounderstandandadapttothem.Theyoungest

generationseekrapidgrowth,drivenbyasenseofurgencyinthefaceofglobalpolycrisisthatarereshapingtheirperspectives.Atthesame

time,theyaredrivingmotivationanddevelopingvaluableskillsthroughtheirdiverseinterestsacrossgaming,activism,andentrepreneurships.

Theirchallengetotraditionalnormsreflectsadaptationtoadigital

worldwhereoldpracticesfalter.Employersmustlistentotheir

concernsandsupporttheirdevelopmenttobecomecriticalthinkersandrisk-takers,andchanneltheirenergyandidealismintopositivechangeintheworkplace.”

8

markets

5,759respondentsinasiapacific

18-67yearsold

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

whywework:

motivatedbypersonalisation.

Worktodayisaboutmorethanjustapaycheck.Talentisprioritising

thebenefitstheycangainthroughemployment,andarelookingfor

jobsthatalignwiththeirpersonalcircumstances,goals,andvalues.Peoplestillfindpurposeinwork,oratleast,50%oftherespondentsinAsiaPacificdo.

Purposeinworkismorethan

fundingourdesiredlifestyleor

savingforretirement,especially

whentherearealternativeavenuestoearnmoney.

It’saboutthedeeper"why"behindwhywechoosetowork.To

succeedinattractingandkeepingtoptalent,employersmustfocusoncreatingpersonalisedwork

experiencesthatmeettheseevolvingexpectations.

generationalgapsinworkpurpose

Acloserlookrevealsgenerationaldifferences.GenZworkersarelesslikelytoidentifya

senseofpurposeintheirjobswith51%of

themacrossAsiaPacificsayingthatthey

wouldchoosenottoworkatallifmoneywasnoobject,comparedtooldergenerations.

Thisshiftsuggeststhatouryoungestworkersareincreasinglydisenchantedwithtraditionalcorporateenvironments.Instead,theymaybelookingforopportunitieswheretheycanmakeadirectandtangibleimpactonissuesthat

resonatewiththem—whetherthat’s

sustainabilityorsocialequity.Thisisin

contrasttoGenXersandBabyBoomerswhohaveastrongerbeliefthatpurposecanbe

foundintraditionalcareersorcorporateenvironments.

RespondentsinJapanaremorelikely(64%)tocontinueworkingevenifmoneywereno

object,comparedto46%ofrespondentsinSingapore.

ThissuggeststhatJapaneseworkersmayplacegreatervalueonintrinsicfactorslikepurpose,stability,orloyaltytotheirroles.

wouldchoosenottoworkifmoneywasnoobject

genZ

50

%

babyboomers

51%

38%

workmonitor20256

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

work-lifebalancetakescentrestage

Work-lifebalanceisatoppriorityforworkersinAsiaPacific,particularlyfor91%of

respondentsinMalaysia.FollowingcloselyareJobSecurityandSalary,reflectingacautiousmindsetamidongoingtransformationinthe

jobmarketsince2023.

Chinesetalentisthemostlikelytoprioritisework-lifebalanceoversalary,indicated

bythe6%differencedividedbetweenthetwofactors.

benefitsandflexibilityvariesamonggenerations

GenerationZworkersreportedlyreceivedadditionalemployeebenefitsandflexibilityoverthepastsixmonthscomparedtotheirBabyBoomercounterparts.

Therearealsonotabledisparitieswithinthe

region.EmployeesinJapanaretheleastlikelytoreceiveaddedbenefitsorflexibilityinthepast6months,andworkersinIndiareceivedthemost.

82

%

seework-lifebalanceasthemostimportant

motivator,belowpaychosenby80%

malaysia

91%

71%

“Thesurveyshowsthedeepvaluepeopleplaceonhavinga

jobandcareeralongsidetheirpersonallives.Asopposedtothepastwherepaycheckdefinesthe‘why’ofhavingajob,

employeesnowseeksatisfaction,balance,andultimately,theabilitytoworkontheirownterms.

Thisiswhyreturntoofficemandatesthatweseehappeningnowaroundtheworldwillunlikelyboostproductivityifitonlychangeswhereworkisperformed.Employersneedtocreatenewstructuresthatdriveconnectionandcollaboration,andhelpemployeesrecognisetheircontributionsintheirjobs.”

hongkongSAR

workmonitor20257

viswanathPS

managingdirector&chiefexecutiveofficerindia

workmonitor20258

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

foreword

keyfindings

global

APAC

australia

china

hongkong

SAR

india

japan

malaysia

newzealand

singapore

FactorsIconsiderwhenthinkingaboutmyemployment

pay

82%

80%

79%

82%

74%

85%

62%

88%

85%

85%

work-lifebalance

83%

82%

83%

88%

71%

87%

65%

91%

88%

86%

jobsecurity

83%

80%

82%

86%

71%

89%

61%

88%

82%

85%

overthepast6months,I’vereceivedmorebenefits

31%

38%

31%

56%

33%

70%

15%

24%

26%

38%

genZ

42%

44%

38%

51%

41%

63%

26%

31%

41%

33%

babyboomers

18%

30%

14%

66%

31%

88%

11%

13%

8%

15%

overthepast6months,I’vereceivedflexibility(workinghours)

31%

38%

30%

53%

34%

67%

16%

22%

35%

37%

genZ

45%

48%

43%

44%

46%

62%

38%

33%

53%

48%

babyboomers

19%

30%

14%

62%

27%

82%

13%

22%

15%

21%

overthepast6months,I’vereceivedflexibility(workinglocation)

29%

36%

26%

49%

37%

66%

15%

25%

28%

36%

genZ

40%

46%

37%

54%

47%

60%

36%

34%

44%

36%

babyboomers

17%

29%

12%

65%

26%

87%

7%

9%

9%

26%

Iwouldn’tacceptajobifitdidn’tprovideflexibilityfor:

workinghours

workinglocation

47%

39%

47%

42%

50%

38%

55%

53%

46%

44%

60%

56%

26%

20%

48%

41%

47%

39%

45%

41%

ifmoneywasnoobjective,Iwouldchoosenottoworkatall

genZ

babyboomers

46%50%51%54%52%53%34%51%53%56%

51%56%54%68%55%54%38%52%59%60%

38%44%37%70%40%64%30%37%44%48%

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

natelliesun

managingdirectorgreaterchina&

southeastasia

whoweworkwith:

fosteringasenseofcommunity.

trustinemployersvarieswidely

Morethan70%ofrespondentsinmainland

ChinaandIndiatrusttheiremployerstofosteraculturewhereeveryonecanthrive—the

highestinAsiaPacific.Incontrast,only26%ofJapanesetalentsharesthissentiment,

suggestingasignificantlackoftrustintheworkplace.

theimportanceofcamaraderie

FormanyJapaneseworkers,salarytakes

precedenceoverworkplacefriendshipsor

havingajobthatcontributestosociety.The

surveyfoundthatJapanesetalentaretheleastlikelytoquittheirjobsduetoalackof

belonging,addinganewdimensiontothephrase,“it’sjustajob”.

Astrongsenseofcamaraderieiscriticalforworkers,particularlyinIndia,Singapore,andmainlandChina.Respondentsinthese

marketsbelievethatasupportiveworkcommunityisthereasonbehindbetterperformanceandahealthiermind.

Talentisseekingmorethanjustajob,theyyearnforacommunitywheretheyfeelvaluedand

connected.Thedesirefor

belongingisdeeplyintertwinedwiththepresenceofworkplacecamaraderieandtrust.

Iwouldn’tmindearninglessmoneyifIhave

goodfriendsatwork

43

%

StrongworkplacerelationshipsareparticularlyimportanttoAsiaPacificworkers,as59%

wouldquittheirjobiftheydidn'tfeelasenseofbelonging,4%higherthantheglobalaverage.

india

63%

19%

japan

Thesurveyalsofoundthat43%oftalentintheAsiaPacificwouldacceptlowerpayiftheyhadgoodfriendsatwork,7%abovetheglobal

average.Notably,thissentimentvaries

significantlybycountry,with64%of

respondentsinChinaagreeingtothis

“InChina,theconceptof‘guanxi’(關(guān)系)underscoresthesignificanceof

interpersonalconnectionsandmutualrespectandobligations,whicharevitalforbusinesssuccess.Whereas,harmony,peaceandbalancetoencourage

collaborationwhilerespectingindividualcontributionsisvaluedinJapan.ThediversityinculturalnuancesandworkvalueswithinAsiamakesitevenmoreimportantforcompaniestoadoptapersonalisedstrategyforattractingandretainingtalent.”

statement,comparedtoonly19%inJapan.

Thesefindingsunderscorethepotentialfororganisationstodifferentiatethemselvesbycultivatingstrongworkplacerelationships,potentiallyreducingrecruitmentcostswhileenhancingemployeesatisfactionand

retention.

workmonitor20257

workmonitor20258

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

foreword

keyfindings

IwouldquitjobifIfeelIdidn’tbelong

global

APAC

australia

china

hongkong

59%

SAR

india

japan

malaysia

newzealand

singapore

55%

59%

62%

64%

69%

34%

61%

63%

62%

IperformbetteratworkifIfeelasenseofcommunitywithmycolleagues

85%

87%

84%

94%

83%

93%

77%

93%

87%

90%

Asenseofcommunityatworkisimportanttomymentalhealth&well-being

84%

85%

84%

90%

81%

91%

67%

94%

86%

91%

Myworkhelpsmeunderstandandgetonwithpeoplewithdifferentviews&backgrounds

86%

86%

86%

92%

80%

92%

63%

94%

89%

92%

Iwantmyworkplacetofeellikeacommunity

83%

84%

83%

96%

76%

91%

62%

93%

87%

89%

Iwouldn’tmindearninglessmineyif:

Ihadgoodfriendsatwork

Myworkcontributedmoretomysociallife

Ifeltmyjobwascontributesomethingtosociety/theworld

83%

37%

39%

43%

43%

45%

38%

35%

39%

64%

61%

61%

49%

50%

53%

63%

65%

67%

19%

20%

19%

33%

35%

37%

32%

30%

38%

43%

45%

47%

IhavequitajobbecauseIcouldn’ttrusttheleadershipteam

31%

35%

32%

33%

39%

53%

27%

33%

33%

33%

Ihideaspectsofmyselfatwork

62%

69%

60%

72%

72%

75%

63%

71%

65%

73%

Itrustmyemployertocreateaculturewhereallemployeescanthrive

49%

54%

51%

70%

51%

71%

26%

58%

59%

49%

IwouldquitajobifIdidn’tgetalongwithmymanager

52%

54%

51%

60%

64%

60%

37%

50%

54%

56%

Ihavequitajobbecauseofatoxicworkplace44%46%47%38%46%58%26%59%50%50%

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

foreword

keyfindings

workmonitor20257

whoweworkwith:

gainingopportunitiesthroughskilling.

ExpectationsarehigherinAsia

Pacificwhenitcomestolearninganddevelopment,particularly

regardingtheintegrationanduseofnewtechnologiesatwork.

Comparedtoglobalresults,talentinasiapacificis3%morelikelytoquittheirjobsiftrainingopportunitiestofuture-prooftheircareersarenotprovided.

ThissentimentisespeciallystronginmainlandChinaandIndia,wheremorethan60%of

respondentsagreewiththestatement.

58%ofrespondentsinmainlandChinawouldalsodeclineajobofferiftheyknowaboutthelackofgrowthopportunitiesduringthe

interviewprocess.

demandforAItraininghighinasiapacific

InAsiaPacific,27%ofrespondentsrankedAIastheirtopchoicefortraining,4%higherthantheglobalaverage.

DemandishigherinIndia(43%)andHong

Kong(35%),andtheslightlylowerpercentageinHongKongcanbeattributedtodiffering

perspectivesbetweenGenZsandBabyBoomers.

Onaverage,41%ofworkershavereceived

traininginthepastsixmonths,withIndia

leadingat75%andJapanlaggingsignificantlyatjust13%.

Workersintheregionseeupskillingasasharedresponsibilitybetweenthemandtheiremployers.Whileemployeesare

awareoftheirresponsibilitiesforkeepingtheirskillsalignedwithtechnological

advancements,employersareaccountableforprovidingnecessarytrainingandupskilling

opportunities.

choseAIastheirtopchoiceforL&D

opportunities

india

27

%

japan

43%

16%

IwouldquitifIwasn’tofferedL&Dtofutureproofmyskills

41%

44%

global

APAC

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

nickpesch

chiefexecutiveofficeraustralia&newzealand

receivedmoretraining&developmentopportunitiesinthepast6months

41%

age-inclusivetrainingrequiredtocloseskillgaps

genZ

50%

Thesurveyrevealednotablegenerationaldifferencesintalentexpectationsand

babyboomers

employersupportforAItraining.

33%

whoisresponsiblefor...

GenZshowedsignificantlyhigherdemandforAItraining,withmorethan40%ofGenZersinHongKongandIndiaexpressing

interest,comparedtojust9%inJapan.

28%

37%

training&upskilling

alignmyskillswithtechinnovations

●myemployer

InmainlandChina,expectationswere

particularlylowamongBabyBoomers,withjust4%seekingAItraining.

36%

29%

Thesurveyalsofoundagapinaccessto

trainingopportunitiesoverthepast6months.AcrossAsiaPacific,GenZtalentweremore

likelytoreceivetrainingthanBabyBoomers.

●me

ThegapwasthemostsignificantinNewZealand,where27%moreGenZtalent

receivedadditionaltrainingcomparedtoBabyBoomers.

“Thecleardividebetweengenerationsintheirdesireforupskillingandaccesstotraininghighlightstheneedformoreage-inclusive

programmesintheworkplace.Rapiddigitaltransformationhasmadeitessentialforemployerstoprovideequitabletrainingopportunitiesto

promoteinnovationandcreativity.

Sinceeachgenerationhasdifferentlevelsofcomfort,confidence,andmotivations,personalisedtrainingthroughskillsassessmentscanhelpnarrowdownskillgapstomakeeveryonemoreagileandproductive.”

workmonitor20257

workmonitor20258

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

appendix

foreword

keyfindings

IwouldquitiftherearenoL&Dtofuture-proofmycareer

global

APAC

australia

china

hongkong

39%

SAR

india

japan

malaysia

newzealand

singapore

41%

44%

38%

60%

67%

22%

44%

38%

43%

Myemployerishelpingmedevelopfuture-proofskillsformycareers(e.g.AI)

64%

69%

61%

84%

64%

88%

46%

79%

59%

72%

Ifeelreadytousethelatesttech(AI)inmyrole

71%

73%

66%

86%

70%

92%

40%

88%

63%

79%

Iwouldn’tacceptajobifitdidn’tofferL&Dtofuture-proofmyskills

44%

44%

39%

58%

43%

58%

23%

45%

42%

43%

AItrainingisthemostsought-afterL&Dopportunity

genZ

babyboomers

22%

19%

24%

27%

27%

22%

21%

16%

24%

26%

28%

4%

35%

42%

18%

43%

41%

49%

16%

9%

14%

22%

22%

28%

19%

16%

17%

30%

26%

33%

Itrustmyemployertoinvest&provideopportunitiesforcontinuouslearning,particularlyinAI&tech

44%

49%

46%

68%

46%

65%

20%

53%

46%

44%

overthepast6months,I’vereceivedmoretraining&developmentopportunities

genZ

babyboomers

34%

45%

23%

41%

50%

33%

30%

40%

18%

63%

61%

69%

37%

47%

37%

75%

69%

91%

13%

30%

7%

25%

32%

25%

36%

47%

20%

39%

44%

19%

Whoholdstheresponsibilityfortraining&upskilling

employee

employer

25%

39%

28%

37%

26%

35%

32%

45%

25%

40%

41%

29%

20%

47%

24%

31%

23%

39%

30%

30%

Whoholdstheresponsibilityforensuringmyskillskeeppacewithtechnologicaladvancements

employee

employer

35%36%34%35%35%47%31%37%33%37%

27%29%28%36%29%24%35%25%29%24%

foreword

keyfindings

aboutthesurvey

appendix

lookingahead

workmonitor202519

thenewmissionfor

employers:deliveringthewhy,how,andwho.

Againstabackgroundofeconomicuncertainty,rapidtechnologicalprogressandcontinuedsocietal

transformation,Workmonitorshowsthattalent’sexpectationsoftheirworkplacecontinuetoshift.

Asacontinuationofthethematicthreadswehaveseenemergeinpreviousyears,anewworkplacebaselinehasemerged.Itisbasedonthreeinterconnectedfactors:

the‘why’ofpersonalmotivations,the‘who’ofasenseofcommunityandthe‘how’ofsharpeningjobskills.Allofthemarebuiltononecommonfoundation:trust.

Withtalentscarcitychallengesexpectedtoincrease,

organisationsthatprioritisingreshapingworkplacestoreflectworkers’expectationswillbeinthestrongest

positiontoattractandretaintalent,andsecurea

sustainablefoundationforlong-termbusinesssuccess.

why:

aligningthepersonalandprofessional

Aspersonalpreferencesprecedematerial

factorslikepayforthefirsttime,theconceptof‘investinginpeople’nowmeansbeing

moreadaptablethanever.

Thisshiftmaysignalareimaginingof

society’srelationshipwithwork,further

blurringthelinesbetweenthepersonalandtheprofessional.Talentincreasinglywants

worktoalignwiththeirvalues,ambitionsandpersonalcircumstances.

Whilechallengingforemployers,respondingtothispresentsacompellingopportunitytobuilddeeper,moremeaningfulconnectionswithtalentbytakingapeople-firstapproach:personalisingbenefitsandpoliciesmore

strongly,sharpeningequityand

environmentalpolicies,andcreatingworkprocessesthatreinforceindependence

andtrust.

who:

acultureofcommunityandtrust

Talentisincreasinglyseekingacommunity

connectionintheirprofessionallives.

Consequently,traditionaltransactionalviewsofemploymentarechanging,supportedbyfindingsthattalentwouldeschewbetterpayforaworkplacewithastrongsenseof

belonging.Thisunderscorestheopportunityforemployerstoenhancemotivationby

fosteringacollaborativeandtrustingculture.

Opencommunicationatalllevelsisvital,

loweringparticipationthresholdsbyenablingtalenttoexpressthemselvesfreely.

Employersalsoneedtoactonthevalueoftalentattachedtoequityandinclusion.

Organisationsthatembedequityintotheirculturewillstrengthenteams,attracttalent,andremaincompetitiveintoday’s

dynamicenvironment.

how:

equitableaccesstolearning

Astechnologyandeconomicchanges

accelerate,talentarekeentolearnandkeeptheirskillsup-to-date.Reskillingandtrainingeffortsshouldbecarefullycuratedand

extendedtoallworkersfairly.Individualdevelopmentjourneyswillbecrucialtokeepingpeopleengagedandensuringlifelonglearningbecomespartofthe

organisationalculture.

Thenewmissionforemployersistoensure

theyaremeetingthewhy,whoandhowof

talentexpectations,creatingequitable,

inclusiveworkingenvironments,wheretalent

feeltheybelongandcanfuture-prooftheircareers.

Organisationsthatfullyembracethis

missionwillrealisethebenefitsofbetterbusinessperformanceandamore

productiveworkforce.

foreword

keyfindings

lookingahead

appendix

aboutthesurvey

workmonitor202520

aboutrandstad.

Randstadisaglobaltalentleaderwiththe

visiontobetheworld’smostequitableand

specialisedtalentcompany.Asapartnerfor

talentandthroughourfourspecialisations—Operational,Professional,Digitaland

Enterprise—weprovideclientswiththehigh-quality,diverseandagileworkforcesthattheyneedtosucceedinatalentscarceworld.Wehelppeoplesecuremeaningfulroles,developrelevantskillsandfindpurposeandbelongingintheirworkplace.Throughthevaluewe

create,wearecommittedtoabetterandmoresustainablefutureforall.

HeadquarteredintheNetherlands,Randstadoperatesin39marketsandhasapproximately40,000employees.In2024,wesupported

over1.7milliontalenttofindworkandgeneratedarevenueof€24.1billion.

RandstadN.V.islistedontheEuronextAmsterdam.Formoreinformation,see

.

aboutworkmonitor.

Th