Bosses simply offering more money may no longer be doing enough to attract and retain staff here, according to a new survey.
A 51 per cent majority of Singapore workers prefer learning new skills to rising to a higher level in their organisation, the survey by human resource consultant Kelly Services found.
That is below the global average of 62 per cent but higher than some regional nations such as Malaysia (43 per cent), Thailand (37 per cent) and China (35 per cent).
Skills upgrading is so important to employees here that they are even willing to sacrifice higher pay for the chance to learn new skills at work, it found.
Kelly Services Singapore country manager Mark Hall said in a statement: "Climbing the corporate ladder is clearly important to people, but frequently not as important as developing the skills that will give them the capability and confidence to realise their long-term potential."
The survey also found that Singapore workers appreciate feedback from their bosses on advancement paths.
Forty-four per cent said they have had a career development discussion with their employer in the past year, higher than the global average of 38 per cent. Of those who had a career development talk, 56 per cent felt it had been helpful in terms of acquiring new skills, and 50 per cent thought it was beneficial in terms of advancement opportunities.
Employer-provided training is the most popular form of training here at 48 per cent, followed by mentoring at 39 per cent. Mr Hall said the findings show employees see skills acquisition as an important investment in their future.
About 230,000 people across 31 countries were surveyed, including more than 1,500 here.
This article was first published on September 05, 2014.
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