More Singaporeans want to be paid more often as they grapple with financial hardship
When Hillary Chan, a 24-year-old fresh graduate, received her first paycheck, she felt on top of the world. But by the third week of the month, the money seemed to evaporate—transport, meals, and a weekend or two out with friends had drained most of it.
She found herself anxiously waiting for the next payday. “Things are just very expensive. Every time I go out with friends, meals can cost around S$30. There’s no space for me to make bigger purchases. I’ve been meaning to upgrade my phone, but I might have to consider buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services instead,” she shared.
When asked if it would be beneficial to be paid not monthly but bi-weekly—or even weekly—Hillary quickly lit up at the idea. To her, it would mean more freedom in managing her expenses without having to rely on credit cards or BNPL schemes to tide her over.
“It will be less stressful. I wouldn’t have to think so much about stretching every dollar to last the whole month,” she explained.
Hillary’s experience reflects a growing sentiment among workers in Singapore: traditional pay cycles are losing relevance. More Singaporeans—nearly one in five—are warming to the idea of being paid more often, at a time when nearly half of workers here report struggling financially, according to Deel’s 2025 Singapore Payday Expectations Report.
Financial hardship is now “commonplace”
Deel’s report states that financial hardship is now “commonplace” for many working Singaporeans, with 34% saying they are “just getting by” and another 16% describing their situation as “difficult.”
More than half (58%) say they could not survive more than three months without income, and 13% added that even missing a single month’s paycheck would be catastrophic.
Rising costs are a major driver. Only 13% of Singapore employees feel their wages have kept pace with inflation, with millennials hit the hardest—just 8% say their salaries have risen in line with living costs.
To cope, many are cutting back on discretionary spending (55%), taking on part-time or freelance jobs (41%), and increasingly leaning on credit cards (47%) and buy-now-pay-later services (33%) to make ends meet.
This financial squeeze is fueling a shift in mindset. The survey highlights that more people are showing growing interest in alternative pay cycles, including earned wage access (EWA), which allows workers to tap into a portion of their wages before their scheduled payday, typically for a small transaction fee.
An overwhelming majority (83%) see the idea as beneficial, and most (74%) say they would consider using it if offered by their employer. Gen Z leads the pack, with 33% saying they would definitely use EWA, ahead of millennials (27%) and Gen X as well as Boomers (21%).
Parental status also plays a role: 32% of those expecting or planning to have children would definitely consider using EWA, while 29% of current parents say the same. In contrast, only 17% of workers not planning to have children would definitely consider it.
Awareness and implementation of alternative pay cycles remain low
However, awareness of such options remains low—47% of Singaporeans have never heard of EWA, and only 25% of payroll teams have invested in such solutions, making it their lowest priority.
Part of the reason lies in the operational pressures facing payroll teams. Many Singapore payroll teams are stretched across borders, understaffed, and tasked with managing critical operational risks, said Karen Ng, Regional Head of Expansion, Enterprise, North and South Asia, Deel.
This is especially true for SMEs and mid-sized firms, which tend to run leaner payroll teams: 76% of SMEs and 80% of mid-sized firms have fewer than 10 payroll staff, limiting their capacity to explore and implement new payroll solutions like earned wage access.
“Now imagine a company with 3,000 employees. Each of them comes in and says, ‘I want my salary on the 12th,’ or ‘the 13th works for me,’ or even ‘the 19th is better, because that’s when my credit card cycle hits.’ It’s not so easy to deliver,” explained Karen.
Payroll teams also face added pressure because many must manage payroll for employees in other countries, dealing with different regulations and tax requirements.
About 79% of SMEs and 76% of mid-sized firms report handling cross-border payroll, while 45% of larger companies also manage it.
These staffing constraints and cross-border demands help explain why EWA and other alternative pay solutions often remain a lower priority for payroll teams, despite growing employee interest.
- Read other articles we’ve written on job trends here.
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