SINGAPORE: One frustrated worker recently voiced his concerns online, lamenting that businesses seem more willing to “spend money on AI” than to properly reward their employees.
According to his post on the r/singaporefi subreddit on Friday (Feb 21), most of his friends received salary increases of only 0-5%, while those who got promoted saw a 10% raise.
“They spend so much money on useless AI agents rather than rewarding the employees. I don’t understand them,” he said.
He also pointed out that with limited job growth in the market, many employers are taking advantage of the situation by offering minimal raises, knowing that workers have fewer options to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
Hoping to get insight from others, he turned to the online community and asked: “What’s your salary increment this year?”
“Investing in AI today is like investing in digital tools 20 years ago.”
Numerous Singaporean workers joined the discussion and shared their salary increments for this year. Some said they only got around 3-5%, which they felt was pretty normal. One shared, “3% every year almost fixed. 6.5% promotion every 4-8 years. Welcome to healthcare.”
Another commented, “3% for my company. I work in F&B, so it’s considered a big pay increase.”
A few workers, however, shared more positive experiences. Those who switched jobs said they managed to secure salary jumps of 15-30%, proving once again that job-hopping is one of the best ways to boost earnings. Others in high-demand industries saw slightly higher-than-average raises, sometimes reaching 7-15%.
One said, “My company does 7-10% increment for non-promotion and up to 15% for promotion.”
Another wrote, “15% (the previous year was 12%), no promotion, but workload—and responsibilities-wise, it feels like I’m doing a two-person job.”
Still, not everyone was as fortunate. Some workers revealed that they didn’t get any salary increment at all this year.
One commented, “0% for the past 3 years, no bonus, no 13th month. Negotiated every year, but the goals kept shifting. I tried looking for a new job, but only contract stints [were] available out there.
Regarding companies investing in AI, one Redditor admitted that while he, like many others, also wanted bigger salary increments, he could understand why businesses were putting money into AI instead.
He said, “From a company’s point of view, investing in AI today is like investing in digital tools 20 years ago. If you don’t do it, other people will and leap ahead of you.”
Singapore workers eye pay raises, but many still feel underpaid
According to HR services firm Hays, nearly half of Singaporean workers are hoping for a pay raise of 2.5% to 5% this year, while about a third aim for a slightly bigger boost of 6% to 10%.
Still, even with these anticipated pay increases, many workers remain dissatisfied with the current salary structures. The firm found that 52% believe their compensation does not fairly reflect the responsibilities they shoulder.
Read also: ‘Is climbing up the corporate ladder worth it?’ Singaporean weighs success vs. sacrifice
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)