Nearly all workers describe themselves as curious. Less than a third say their workplace rewards them. That gap, and what is driving it wider, is the subject of SurveyMonkey’s 2026 State of Curiosity report — and its findings arrive at a moment when the question of what humans contribute alongside artificial intelligence has never been more consequential.

The report, based on a survey of 1,925 US workers conducted in April, introduces the concept of “curiosity capacity” — defined as the ability to stay open, ask sharper questions, and keep learning in an environment where AI produces polished answers faster and easier than ever before. The central argument is pointed: as AI commoditizes outputs, the differentiator is no longer what workers produce. It is the questions they ask, the assumptions they challenge, and what they notice that AI missed.

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Three Forces Draining Curiosity at Work

The report identifies three workplace dynamics that are systematically suppressing curiosity on the job.

The first is what the report calls the AI middleman. Directors and vice presidents are nearly three times as likely as individual contributors to use AI instead of asking a colleague a question — 33 percent versus 12 percent. Conversations that once built shared judgment and organizational understanding are being replaced by prompts, quietly eroding the connective tissue of institutional knowledge.

The second is the scroll reflex. More than a third of workers who use AI say they accept AI-generated responses as-is or after only a cursory check — even though 58 percent say they trust colleagues more than AI. The path of least resistance is winning over the habit of deeper inquiry.

The third is the efficiency squeeze. Pressure for speed has compressed the space available for exploration and discussion. Only 38 percent of workers describe most meetings as genuine forums for open discussion and idea exploration. More than half say that additional unstructured time would help them be more curious at work.

The Cost of Not Asking

The organizational consequences are already visible. Half of workers say they have had to redo work because the right questions were not asked at the outset. Forty-six percent say they have witnessed time or money wasted because assumptions went unchallenged.

Yet the conditions that would correct this are precisely those that current workplace norms discourage. Nearly half of workers — 44 percent — say that asking too many questions makes them look incompetent. Among Gen Z workers, the numbers are particularly striking: 41 percent report pretending to understand something they do not, 45 percent feel pressure to already know the answer, and 42 percent have stayed silent because they felt they had already asked too much.

“AI allows us to impersonate leadership without doing the hard work of actually leading,” said Anne Morriss, founder of The Leadership Consortium, whose commentary features in the report.

Jack Soll, a distinguished professor of management and organizations at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, offered an equally pointed observation: “AI might make us individually smarter, but the opposing force is going to make us all the same — which might make it harder to be creative and innovative.”

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What Workers Say They Need

The report also surfaces a clear picture of what workers believe would help. Seventy-seven percent want more opportunities to brainstorm with colleagues. Seventy percent want greater psychological safety to ask questions without consequence. Sixty-one percent want stronger connections across teams, and more than half want both reduced workload and more unstructured time in the working day.

“Curiosity isn’t the problem,” said Katie Miserany, Chief Communications Officer and Head of Global Marketing at SurveyMonkey. “The way we work is. We hope this inspires everyone to start designing workplaces that strengthen curiosity capacity instead of draining it.”

The full report is available at surveymonkey.com/curiosity/state-of-curiosity-report.

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Singapore’s economy faces a curious dilemma: a talent drought amidst a booming tech sector.

This paradox is stark when you look at a recent Ministry of Manpower (MOM) report highlighting a rise in PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) vacancies, surging from 39.2% in 2013 to 57.2% in 2023. Meanwhile, businesses are aggressively pushing the boundaries of innovation in developing or adopting frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).

The red-hot tech market is creating surging demand for skilled workers amid a labor market where 80% of local firms perceive hiring as highly competitive. This talent situation inevitably creates a bottleneck for companies, potentially forcing them to slow down ambitious growth strategies.

In “Good Strategy, Bad Strategy,” author and academic Richard Rumelt describes a framework for effective strategy development, arguing that the core of any strategic endeavor lies in identifying the crucial elements of a situation. Once these critical factors are unearthed, a successful strategy focuses on coordinated actions designed to address them.

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The current situation in Singapore perfectly exemplifies Rumelt’s concept. There is a clear mismatch between talent supply and demand within the tech sector, and relying solely on the local talent pool is no longer sufficient. Companies need a new approach – an ‘everywhere workforce’. 

The global workforce: A win-win for companies and employees

Going global benefits companies and is highly valued among employees, who perceive global companies to offer more career opportunities. A G-P study found that 93% of Singaporean employees want to work for a global company, surpassing the global average of 79%. This is mainly fuelled by the prospect of better pay and benefits, travel or work abroad options, and the chance to be part of a culturally diverse work environment.

A globally distributed team also brings more diversity of skills and expertise to organizations. These perspectives and experiences can help companies compete globally and spur rapid innovation. 

Despite the inherent benefits of a global workforce, global growth can be challenging, and it looks different for every company. Factors such as compliance challenges are preventing companies from leaping – with 32% of global executives deterred from recruiting and hiring in a different country due to complex regulations. 

The demands of today’s workforce require more individually tailored solutions for companies and professionals. To overcome these hurdles and navigate today’s dynamic landscape, companies must explore emerging technologies beyond traditional HR tools for global employment. 

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The new era of global growth technology

Historically, the path for global growth was often office-by-office and market-by-market. The process was arduous due to cost, time, and ongoing compliance challenges. Modern work has been transformed by technological advances, enabling companies to quickly build global teams and the availability of talent from emerging countries. Despite these developments, navigating the complexities of scaling internationally remains daunting for many companies. Businesses often lack guidance on where to begin and how to effectively implement and manage global growth strategies. 

This is where global growth technology steps in, providing businesses with a powerful toolkit of new solutions and strategies to unlock global opportunities quickly, efficiently, and compliantly.  Through a powerful combination of generative AI intelligence and human intelligence, companies can remove the tension between their growth strategies and compliance, providing them access to talent (including full-time and contract workers) regardless of location.

Leveraging advanced analytics and data on hiring trends is key for global growth since it enables companies to pinpoint opportune moments to enter new markets while adhering to compliance standards. Custom reports and HR analytics provide teams with real-time insights into local growth strategies, including salary benchmarks, benefits data, and compliance regulations, to ensure organizations are well-positioned for long-term success when entering a new region.

Global growth technology also enables companies to manage global teams efficiently through automation. These AI-enabled tools can automate repetitive tasks, such as managing employment contracts, onboarding documents, and other tedious paperwork. Additionally, AI provides personalization capabilities that allow companies to customize the employee experience, onboarding processes, benefits packages, and HR support, creating a tailored and consistent experience for their global workforce.

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Future-proofing Singapore’s workforce

Attracting global talent isn’t the only way to solve the talent problem; the potential of Singapore’s existing workforce must also be unlocked. While Singapore’s low unemployment rate is positive, it masks a growing skills shortage. To strengthen its reputation as a global talent hub, the Singapore government has launched various initiatives, including SkillsFuture, Overseas Market Immersion Programme, and Global Business Leaders Programme, to support companies in upskilling their employees and accelerating their market expansion plans.

 By encouraging continuous learning, offering competitive work environments, and offering global opportunities, Singapore can bridge this gap and ensure the local talent pool continues to be a springboard for economic success.

While the government’s commitment to lifelong learning empowers the local workforce, global growth technology offers a new frontier for sustained growth. By embracing both strategies, Singapore can build a future-proof talent pool where an ‘everywhere workforce’ transcends geographical limitations and fuels continued innovation.

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