Remote, the leading global HR platform for distributed companies, revealed the findings from their first Global Working Parents Report.
The report surveys 13,859 working parents with children under the age of five across 13 countries — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
The study finds that working parents in Singapore are aligned on the positive impact that flexible working arrangements would have on their responsibilities as employees and parents, and would increase the likelihood of having additional children.
Across the 1,000 working parents from Singapore surveyed, the report found that:
- 81% of working parents agree that flexible, remote, and hybrid work arrangements would be most helpful for balancing career and parental responsibilities.
- 89.7% of working parents would consider having more children if given more flexible work arrangements.
- 82.8% of respondents have considered quitting their jobs due to a lack of affordable childcare options during working hours.
- 87.3% of respondents considered leaving their jobs when faced with more days in the office.
- While 56.4% of respondents said their employers accepted their flexible working arrangement request, 82.1% feel they were given “fake flexibility”.
The results indicate that amid return-to-office mandates, rising inflation, and increasing cost of living, the financial and emotional burdens of childcare have become more pressing than ever.
An overwhelming majority of working parents are faced with difficult decisions to forgo their job and careers to mitigate childcare costs while working in the office.
On the other hand, flexible working arrangements offer a hopeful solution to curbing Singapore’s declining birth rate, as 87% of working parents responded they would consider having an additional child under these circumstances.
While employers may be open to offering flexible working arrangements for their employees, the findings suggest more needs to be done to help employers in better implementing such arrangements.
Though more than half of respondents were successful in their flexible working arrangement applications, an overwhelming majority also reported feeling that they have been offered “fake flexibility”.
Said Job van der Voort, CEO and Co-Founder of Remote, “Our recent study offers a glimpse into the complex and challenging landscape that working parents face when navigating parental and professional commitments.”
“It’s exciting to see that across the board, flexible work arrangements offer substantial benefits for working parents. Employers must actively embrace the reality that remote and flexible working arrangements are key to realising the full potential of a well-supported workforce.”
