Singapore Companies Investing in Talent Development To Help Employees Thrive in Era of AI
The rapidly advancing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) is proving to be a major disruptor across different industries.
According to LinkedIn's research, 92% of companies in Singapore plan to enhance their employees' skills and abilities in the new year to allow them to thrive in the era of AI. Today, the top five skills that hiring managers in the country consider the most important are a combination of hard and soft skills, which include problem-solving abilities (34%), critical thinking (28%), communications skills (24%), IT & web skills (20%) and leadership & talent management (20%).
"In the past year, the narrative was dominated by technological advancements, particularly the integration of AI into business workflows," said Feon Ang, Vice President, LinkedIn Talent Solutions and Managing Director, APAC. "The resulting surge in demand for AI expertise reflected the challenges many businesses faced in navigating this transformative shift and incorporating cutting-edge technologies into their operations."
"Investing in people’s growth is no longer a perk but a strategic imperative, considering that our workforce is the driving force behind companies’ success in an era shaped by both AI innovation and collaboration with AI," she added.
Among the most important qualities a candidate should have are soft skills and the capacity for learning. Communication, for example, is number one on LinkedIn's most in-demand skills list across all countries in APAC, including Singapore, China, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, to name a few. The skill is particularly helpful in the new world of work where AI can free up time for employees to focus and excel in jobs meant for people, such as building relationships and collaborating with others.
What's more, 44% of hiring managers in Singapore consider candidates' potential for growth and their ability to learn as the most important factor when evaluating whether to hire them or not.
The ability to learn becomes even more important today as more companies provide employees with learning opportunities to develop and future-proof their talents and skills, leading to increased confidence and job security. LinkedIn reports that 43% of Singapore HR professionals are offering employees online training programs, while 40% are offering internal learning and development sessions focused on generative AI. These investments that focus on creating a culture of learning has become a top priority for learning and development professionals in 2024 across all APAC markets. Up to 91% of them in Southeast Asia say they can show business value by helping employees gain skills to move into different internal roles.
Internal mobility is also expected to play a key role in the attraction and retention of employees in Singapore. LinkedIn's research found that 52% of Singapore leaders identified providing career progression opportunities as their key priority this year.
36% of hiring managers in Singapore see career growth opportunities as key to retaining top employees, along with competitive salary and benefits (41%). Additionally, employers believe that sharing opportunities for career advancement (39%) and increasing internal mobility (54%) are the top two ways to get the interest of potential candidates.
"Business leaders recognise that they cannot rely on old talent playbooks in this new era of work that’s being reshaped by AI, and where skills needed for the same job will change by 65% by 2030," said Ang.
To help Singapore companies, LinkedIn is rolling out some new AI-powered experiences on its platform.
The first of which is Recruiter 2024, a recruiting experience that enables hirers to quickly access candidate recommendations by using natural language search prompts and data from millions of professionals and companies, streamlining the process of shortlisting candidates that posses the right skills for the job. The experience will ramp to all APAC customers in English-speaking markets from end February.
Next is AI-powered coaching in LinkedIn Learning, a chatbot that offers real-time advice and tailored content recommendations all personalised for learners based on their job title, career goal and skills they follow. This is currently available to APAC customers in English-speaking markets. LinkedIn is also expanding its in-demand skill library, including AI courses that have an uptick in learners.
Lastly, there will be new career development and internal mobility features within LinkedIn Learning in early March. These experiences will help guide employees to critical skills, develop skills that matter to grow, and connect to the best-fit opportunity at their company.
92% of companies in Singapore plan to enhance their employees' skills and abilities in the new year to allow them to thrive in the era of AI, according to LinkedIn.
43% of Singapore HR professionals are offering employees online training programs, while 40% are offering internal learning and development sessions focused on generative AI.
52% of Singapore leaders also identified providing career progression opportunities as their key priority this year.