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.
Australia’s high-income, mixed-market economy is rich in natural resources. Built on a wide range of successful sectors from services to agriculture, the country is ranked as an important member of many international trade groups, including the G20 and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
However, there are some causes for concern. For example, while employees rank enjoyment of the day’s work just behind pay as the most important factor of their job, just 67% are satisfied with their enjoyment of their role. This is lower than both the regional and global figures of 69%. Our study also highlights concerning differences in the employee experiences of some workers.
Salary is the most important aspect of the job to 57% of employees but only 60% are satisfied with theirs (the global and regional averages are 65% and 67%). Although 60% think they’re paid fairly for their skillset and responsibilities, more women (46%) than men (37%) think they’re underpaid. This is significant — in most countries it’s the other way around.
Most employees (43%) are still obliged to attend the workplace every day (much higher than the global figure of 28%). 33% work in a hybrid way and only 22% have complete flexibility to work where they choose. Workers rate flexibility of hours (at 39%) as twice as important as flexibility of location (18%).
There are marked differences between men's and women's work experiences in several key areas, ranging from mental health to training and development. For example, 20% of men say they never experience stress at work, whereas only 12% of women agree. While 61% of men are satisfied with their training and development, only 54% of women say the same.
Where people work — whether at home or on-site — makes a difference. For example, job security is more important to those working on-site (46%) compared with those working from home (28%). And while 14% of those who work on-site prize company culture, just 9% of remote workers deem it important.
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.
Last year, workers in the region overestimated their pay increases significantly — the average pay rise (4.28%) was well behind the 8.54% that they had expected. Just over a quarter also said their wages remained unchanged. Employees seem to have adjusted their expectations, however, with fewer expecting a pay rise this year than last.
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%.
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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.
If pay rises are proving a stretch this year, what alternatives would workers around the world accept? Find out in our global guide.
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