Singapore, HK workers less optimistic than regional peers about AI impact on jobs: report

[SINGAPORE] Professionals in Singapore and Hong Kong are less optimistic than their regional peers about the impact of artificial intelligence on their jobs, a survey by recruitment agency Robert Walters has found. 

While 89 per cent of professionals in Singapore and 91 per cent in Hong Kong use AI at work, only 67 per cent and 66 per cent, respectively, believe that the technology will affect their careers positively.

This places the two financial hubs at the bottom of regional career optimism rankings, behind markets like mainland China (88 per cent), Vietnam (83 per cent), Japan (80 per cent) and Taiwan (79 per cent).

Top concerns about AI adoption among Singapore’s professionals are the risk of job displacement due to automation, potential bias or unfair treatment from AI-driven decisions, and the anxiety that their skills may become obsolete.

The survey was conducted on close to 5,000 professionals and companies in 10 Asian markets. It found that 93 per cent of professionals in the region actively use AI, and that 58 per cent of employers have already introduced it in the workplace. 

Greater emphasis on what humans can do

Employers surveyed said that AI is having the greatest impact on functions where work is highly process‑driven, data‑intensive or operational in nature. They listed administration and business support, IT and digital transformation, and accounting and finance as the top three functions hit by AI usage.

As for professionals, AI is most commonly being deployed for content creation, data analysis, research and workflow optimisation.

Kirsty Poltock, country manager of Robert Walters Singapore, said: “AI is reshaping how work is done, shifting routine tasks to automation while elevating human responsibility for judgment and decision-making.”

While high-usage markets such as Vietnam and the Philippines reported strong optimism about AI’s impact on careers, the survey found that this is not matched by high confidence about keeping skills up to date.

To navigate an AI-enabled workplace, the survey noted that employers are placing greater emphasis on human capabilities that ensure effective judgment, oversight and adaptability.

For example, data analysis was cited as a highly valued skill by 65 per cent of employers, with the focus on interpretation and decision-making.

“The ability to translate AI‑generated insights into practical decisions is increasingly seen as a baseline skill across functions, not a specialist capability,” said the report.

Critical thinking and fact-checking, creativity, adaptability, ethical decision-making and machine-learning expertise were other top skills cited by employers.

Rather than seeking pure AI engineering positions, organisations are expanding existing roles and creating hybrid positions. Some examples include AI product managers and AI implementation leads.

The report noted an increasing demand for roles with a focus on interpretation, decision-making and ensuring that insights lead to measurable outcomes.

Meanwhile, governance, ethics and trust-related roles are also needed to coordinate AI strategy, risk and adoption in organisations.

“Professionals are expected to assess outputs critically, apply context and manage expectations,” said Poltock.

“Over time, this reshapes the skills required to succeed and the way organisations structure roles, teams and progression. This is why we have seen that job titles can remain unchanged, even as performance expectations shift.”