Nearly half of workers report six or more unpaid hours a week, report says

10% said they render more than 16 hours of unpaid work.

Over two in five (45%) workers in Singapore report working six or more hours of unpaid work every week, above the global 38%, as per ADP’s People at Work 2026 report.

35% of respondents work six to 15 unpaid hours weekly, whilst 10% work for 16 hours or more.

The research revealed that workers reporting 16 or more unpaid hours are more likely to be fully engaged with work, but are more susceptible to stress, making them less productive and more likely to search for new work.

Unpaid work is more prevalent in medium-sized organisations (56%), compared to large organisations (46%) and small organisations (40%), according to the data.

Knowledge workers are also more likely to report a higher number of unpaid hours, with 51% reporting at least six hours of unpaid work to create new output.

ADP said that unpaid work is also common among senior leaders, with C-suite executives (50%) and upper managers (49%) reporting at least six unpaid hours a week, compared to individual contributors (26%).

C-suite executives also record the highest share of workers working unpaid for 16 hours or more, at 20%.

Younger workers are also most likely to work longer unpaid hours, with 42% for workers aged 18-26 years globally. This is followed by workers aged 27-39 years (41%) and workers aged 40-54 years (38%).

“Working longer hours should not be mistaken for working more effectively,” said Yvonne Teo, vice president, HR, APAC at ADP.

She said employers need to create an environment where expectations are clear, workloads are effectively managed, and employees are fully resourced.