Asia’s leading cities set a new precedent for digital upskilling
The recent Emerging Job and Skills report from Singapore’s NTUC LearningHub has shed light on the profound effect that digitalisation is having on its workforce; forcing them to upskill.
Both employers and employees were asked for their perspectives regarding the effects of digitalisation in the workplace. It was reported that 4 out of 5 workers in the Lion City are concerned about the impact that digitalisation will have on their jobs and roles within their industry, with the vast majority (93%) reporting that they will need to upskill to stay relevant within their current role.
Employers also echoed this sentiment, and said that the main impact digitalisation has had on the workforce is the need to reskill and upskill workers to meet new skill demands. With more jobs succumbing to automation, employees are finding themselves spending less time stuck in repetitive tasks and will need to take on hybrid roles – that is, roles that require a mix of different skill sets in the future.
Similarly, research conducted in Hong Kong and Singapore by Big 4 firm, PwC, found that a similar sentiment is also shared in Hong Kong. Over half (56%) of the people surveyed, perceived automation as a threat to their job and 41% of pollsters believe that their job will become obsolete in 5 years. Hong Kongers also reported a weaker desire to learn new skills or completely retrain (61%) compared to their Singaporean counterparts. In Mainland China, however, the desire is more acute with 89% of workers wanting to learn new skills so that they can keep pace with rapidly shifting technological advances.
All is not lost
Despite the limitations that have been imposed upon in-person learning due to the ongoing pandemic, it seems as though workers have been proactive when it comes to fuelling their self-development. The data shows that there has already been a dramatic shift towards digital upskilling across Hong Kong and Singapore. More than half of the Little Red Dot’s workers successfully improved their digital skills during the pandemic whilst over a third of those in Hong Kong did the same. Additionally, 51% of respondents in both cities felt as though their digital skills had improved overall.
A Digital Push
Despite OECD Digital Economy Outlook highlighting the Asia Pacific region as the standout area when it comes to digital adoption, there exists a technophobic workplace bubble in one of the world’s most technologically advanced economies—Japan. OECD’s report highlighted that only 5.4% of Japan’s offices were capable of handling digital applications and COVID further highlighted Japan’s lack of technological adaption.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of the successful Singapore Government Technology Agency, the Japanese Government recently ushered in the Digital Agency Law, to help ramp up its digital ambitions. Though its 600 employees at launch are far fewer in comparison to its Singaporean counterpart, it remains to be seen if the new law can help Japan’s workforce to embrace digitalisation.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
