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Rise of Boomerang Employees - 75% of professionals in Singapore open to returning to previous employer

August 02, 2023

Source: Press Release

  • One in two (46%) considering returning to previous employers for better career progression and remuneration

  • Quarter (27%) admit to having already reached out to previous employer

  • 78% remain in touch with previous employer – with a quarter (25%) saying it is to keep the door open

  • Over 96% of managers who are currently hiring are open to consider hiring a previous employee, with 80% of them doing so without hesitation. Yet over 1 in 5 employees do not keep in contact with their ex-employers.


Three quarters of professionals (75%) in Singapore have stated that they are open to returning to their previous employer. They are likely to be considered, with 80% of employers who are currently hiring willing to do so without any hesitation or caution.


According to a recent poll from recruiter Robert Walters of close to 1,000 professionals across six Southeast Asian countries, of which 150 are from Singapore, 40% of workers in Singapore who had left their job in the past two years did so for better pay and benefits - with a further 28% leaving for a better workplace culture or aligned corporate values.


In Singapore, 46% of local professionals admit that they will be willing to consider returning to their previous employer for better remuneration and career progression opportunities – with another 23% stating that they will consider doing so if there are changes to the leadership or team structure. In particular, 25% of local respondents (compared to the SEA average of 19%) would return to their previous employer if remuneration was improved.


Keeping a Foot in the Door

78% of those surveyed admitted to staying in some form of contact with a previous manager – with a quarter stating that this was for the primary purpose of keeping the door open for future job opportunities (25%).

In fact – 27% of local professionals have admitted to reaching out to a previous employer in the past two years regarding job opportunities, with a further 20% stating that they have not done it yet but intend to do so. Singapore professionals see the highest proportion of respondents who no longer keep in touch with their ex-companies, compared to their counterparts in other markets in the region. One in 5 (22%) Singapore professionals do not remain in contact with their ex-employers (compared to the SEA average of 13%).


Managers Very Open to Consider Hiring Ex-employees

The sentiment from Singapore professionals is largely met with positive responses, with over 90% of managers in Singapore being willing to consider re-hiring them for suitable positions. More than three-quarters (76%) of managers will consider letting “good ex-employees” return and another 20% are open to the idea, although they will proceed with hesitation and caution. Among the SEA respondents, Singapore managers are the most open to reconsidering ex-employees, with 3% (compared to the SEA average of 9%) stating that they will not rehire ex-employees.

Monty Sujanani - Country Manager at Robert Walters Singapore added:

“Our findings show that managers in Singapore are the most open to consider rehiring their ex-employees. Yet on the employees’ front, we have the highest rate of employees who may have missed potential future job opportunities, by not keeping in touch with their ex-employers. It could be due to various reasons, such as a misperception that returning to an ex-employer could be perceived negatively. Employees may be encouraged to know that their ex-employers will be willing to consider them fairly, especially if they had proven themselves to be star performers in the company.”


Toby Fowlston – CEO of global recruitment consultancy Robert Walters comments:

“Whilst the global recruitment market has slowed slightly in 2023, candidate shortages continue – and so the fact there is a pool of talent open to re-joining business should excite leaders. Not only that but this is talent that can hit the ground running – they have already been inducted into your business, they will be familiar with processes, and have a previous vested interest in the brand – all qualities which can take years to instil in a new employee. In light of this research, companies who are looking to hire can consider re-engaging with alumni, and train managers on holding a positive exit process as ‘boomerang employees’ could well be a solution to skills shortage. A key thing for employers is to manage the return of boomerang employees amongst existing workers – in particular if someone is returning in a more senior position than when they left. A balance needs to be struck and employers should assess that they are doing all they can to open up lines of opportunity within an organisation, or they risk sending a message that one route to promotion and better package is to take the boomerang route.”