Previously, we reported that Malaysia ranked 2nd worst out of 60 countries for work-life balance in the Global Life Work Index by Remote, highlighting the significant stress faced by employees in the country.

This stress naturally leads to unhappiness among Malaysian workers. A recent regional survey of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong by Jobstreet and JobsDB by SEEK confirmed this, showing that employees in Malaysia are the second unhappiest in the region.

According to the survey conducted in May 2024 and shared by SME Asia, Singapore has the highest percentage (19%) of unhappy employees at work, followed by Malaysia at 12%. The top six are rounded out by the Philippines (11%), Thailand (9%), Hong Kong (9%), and Indonesia (4%).

The survey involved over 5,000 workforce respondents across the countries.

Heavy workloads are the main cause of employee stress levels

The Southeast Asia Hiring, Compensation, and Benefits Report 2024 by SEEK identified the primary causes of employee stress in the region:

• Heavy workloads (37%)
• High pressure from management (27%)
• Lack of ample career development opportunities (23%)

The report also noted that despite high stress levels, only 48% of companies provide adequate support for employees to manage stress.

In Malaysia, SEEK found a focus on employee organization activities to boost engagement (17%), rather than on mental health and wellness counseling, which is more common in the Philippines (30%) and Indonesia (15%).

SEEK also highlighted that companies in Southeast Asia are implementing various measures to improve compensation and benefits, with salary benchmarking being particularly prevalent in Malaysia (59%).