Job hugging? Emotional salary? Here are the workplace trends that are set to define 2026

In Singapore, the conversation about work is shifting – not through grand declarations, but in everyday decisions. Rising living costs, an uneven global outlook and constant technological change have made careers feel less about chasing aspiration and more about staying resilient.

The assumption that ambition must be visible, upward and fast is loosening. Many professionals are choosing to remain in their current roles longer, not for lack of opportunity, but because stability now carries real value. Predictable income matters. So do manageable workloads, autonomy and work that feels worth sustaining.

Karen Ng, regional head of expansion for North and South Asia at Deel, sees this pattern across organisations. “We are seeing more people ‘hug’ their current roles, not out of inertia, but from a desire for stability,” she says. “It’s a response to rising costs and ongoing uncertainty, but also to a growing demand for emotional benefits – greater recognition, more autonomy and a sense of purpose.”

That shift has implications for employers. Karen notes that employees who feel financially secure and supported are more likely to stay and to contribute beyond what is required. Retention, increasingly, is less about perks and pay packets than whether work feels sustainable over time.

Ideas of success are evolving as well. Promotions and pay rises still matter, but they are now weighed against flexibility, wellbeing and the ability to maintain a life outside of work. Stability, once dismissed as complacency, is being treated as a rational response to uncertainty.

What is emerging is not a single new way of working, but a set of consistent behaviours. Employees are making different trade-offs. Managers are facing new expectations. Companies are learning, sometimes slowly, what people are no longer willing to accept. These changes are now shaping a number of workplace trends – each offering insight into how ambition, value and security are being redefined.

Job hugging

Frequent job moves are slowing as more workers choose to hold on to the roles they already have. This “job hugging” instinct isn’t so much comfort as it is caution; with the economy sending mixed signals, people are prioritising steady ground over quick jumps. It’s a shift that suggests predictability now outweighs the appeal of rapid advancement.

Emotional salary

With budgets tightening, employers are relying more on “emotional salary” – the mix of recognition, flexibility, purpose and autonomy that makes a job feel worth staying in even when pay isn’t rising as quickly as people hope. These non-monetary benefits are becoming a bigger part of the conversation as traditional raises get harder to secure.

Data reflects the shift. Only a small share of employees say their pay keeps up with inflation, and many want more flexible pay cycles and more control over their compensation. It’s a sign that workers are weighing emotional and financial support together when deciding whether a job still works for them.

Microshifting

No, this has nothing to do with microneedling or any form of aesthetic treatments. Instead, microshifting is emerging as the next phase of workplace flexibility. Instead of working in one uninterrupted block, employees break their day into shorter, focused stretches that fit naturally around the rest of their lives.

It allows for school runs, caregiving, workouts or simply a brief reset, without sacrificing output. The idea is simple: productivity holds, but the day bends more realistically to individual energy levels and responsibilities.

Conscious unbossing

In the same spirit that gave us Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s infamous “conscious uncoupling,” a growing number of employees – especially younger ones – are practising what some are calling “conscious unbossing.” Instead of chasing people-management roles by default, they’re choosing balance, autonomy and wellbeing over the traditional climb. It’s a shift that challenges long-held ideas about ambition and is forcing companies to rethink how they grow their next generation of leaders.

LinkedIn envy

If scrolling LinkedIn leaves you feeling like everyone else is moving faster – new roles, promotions, big announcements – you’re not alone.

“LinkedIn envy” captures the pressure that comes from comparing your own career to the curated successes of others online. It’s a natural reaction in a competitive climate, though it’s worth remembering that these posts rarely show the setbacks or uncertainty behind those updates.