Eighty per cent of Singapore managers think that good health, work-life balance and passion for work is highly important. Comparatively, only 61 percent think that career advancement and high salary is of equal priority.

These are the findings of the first SIM Management Monitor study - a six-monthly survey conducted by the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) to identify key trends in management and issues faced by Singapore managers.

The study uncovered ten other interesting trends:

1. 69 per cent of managers were generally satisfied in their jobs.
2. Satisfaction was highest among C-suite (higher level) executives at 93 per cent, while one in four middle managers (26 per cent) were dissatisfied with their jobs.
3. 86 per cent indicated they intend to continue working beyind the retirement age of 62 years, but half would prefer to work on a part-time basis doing free-lance or consulting work.
4. Seven out of 10 think training is important. Methods of training ranked in order of preference are: On-the-job training, short external courses, long-term qualification programmes and job rotations within the organisation.
5. 56 per cent were confident of keeping their jobs and 26 percent are confident of a pay rise in the next 12 months.
6. Only half (53%) felt that their organisation had good employee benefits.
7. 50 per cent felt that the organisation was well-positioned for the future.
8. 51 per cent are unlikely to search for a new job in the next six months.
9. 43 per cent are positive about the business prospects of their present employer in the next 12 months
10. 30 per cent are positive about their career opportunities in the Singapore job market.

The survey conducted by Blackbox Research in April this year polled 750 managers ranging from C-suite executives to middle managers from various industries.

The respondents come from the private and public sector, SMEs, MNCs and large Singapore corporations.