3 trends to note on AI at the workplace

About 93% of APAC employers and 90% of workers surveyed expect to use Generative AI in their organisations in the next five years.

It's clear today that AI now has a big role in reshaping the workforce — from how organisations operate, to how work gets done. Despite varying levels of AI adoption across countries in the region, it is set to be a game-changer over the next five years.

In that vein, a new research by Access Partnership and Amazon Web Services, involving 15,000 workers and 5,000 organisations in the APAC region, has affirmed that having AI skills could boost productivity, salaries, and career growth for workers; yet, there remains a lack of AI-skilled talent to harness the full potential of AI.

Among the key findings, the study noted the following top takeaways:

#1 Most organisations will use AI by 2028

More than 92% of APAC employers surveyed expect their organisations will use AI-powered solutions and tools by 2028, with IT & telecommunications (97%), financial services (95%), and the public sector (91%) leading the way.

At the same time, while most respondents (91%) believe their IT departments will be the biggest beneficiary of AI, they also expect business operations (89%), finance (88%), research & development (88%), sales & marketing (87%), legal (82%), and HR (81%) to benefit. In addition, 64% of employers expect automating repetitive tasks to be the top benefit of AI.

#2 Generative AI will transform the way of work

Next, the study also unveiled the possible impact of Generative AI on the way of work, with 93% of APAC employers and 90% of workers expecting to use it in their organisations in the next five years.

In fact, it is expected to be used by workers of all levels of technical knowledge – 65% of tech specialists expect to use it significantly, followed by 47% of tech-adjacent workers, and 29% of non-tech workers.

#3 Employees equipped with AI skills could see a pay boost alongside other career benefits

APAC employers value workers with AI skills and are willing to pay at least 33% more to hire them, according to the survey. The top motivations for acquiring AI skills include: increased job efficiency, greater job satisfaction, and faster career progression.

Notably, about two-thirds (68%) of baby boomers surveyed have shown interest in picking up AI skills to advance their careers.

#3 There is a need to close the AI skills gap in APAC

Hiring AI talent is a priority for nearly four in five (79%) APAC employers, of which 75% can't find the AI talent they need.

On the internal front, the survey also highlighted a gap when it came to training awareness, whereby 79% of employers don't know how to implement an AI workforce training program, and 74% of workers lack knowledge about available AI training programmes.

Meanwhile, 74% of workers aren't sure about the relevant career paths where AI skills would be useful.

Read the full findings here. 

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ALSO READ: How workers across Thailand, Singapore and Australia feel about using generative AI

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