Over 3 in 5 Singaporeans preparing for AI-driven future amid job insecurity: report

More than three in five employees in Singapore are being proactive about an AI-driven future.

At the same time, they have growing anxieties that the technology will eventually take over their jobs, according to a new survey from Reeracoen.

The survey, which polled 413 respondents, found that 62.4% are actively preparing for an AI-driven future, mainly through upskilling (32.9%) and staying updated about AI developments related to their fields (29.5%).

_{Source: Perception of AI in the Workplace report}

In fact, the report found that 57.6% of the respondents have used government-supported resources, such as SkillsFuture (44.6%), Workforce Singapore (15%), and LinkedIn Learning (13%), as part of their upskilling measures.

Among the top skills or courses that employees seek to enhance are data analysis and AI-related courses (29.5%) and other industry-specific technical skills (23.8%).

Anxieties surrounding AI

Employees' proactive efforts come as 53.5% of them express concerns about AI potentially replacing their jobs in the future.

_{Source: Perception of AI in the Workplace report}

According to the respondents, the top five tasks that are most at risk of being replaced by AI include:

• Customer service and interaction-based tasks 
• Routine and repetitive tasks 
• Manual and labour-intensive tasks 
• Technical and IT tasks 
• Creative tasks

Support from employers

Amid these concerns about job security, the report further found that only 8.6% believe that their companies are adequately preparing employees for AI-driven changes.

Nearly a third (30.1%) acknowledge that some efforts are being made, while more than a quarter (28.3%) feel companies are not doing enough.

In terms of upskilling, less than a quarter of the respondents said their company was very supportive, while 16.9% are not happy with their employers' support.

_{Source: Perception of AI in the Workplace report}

"While AI adoption is accelerating, companies must take proactive steps to support their employees' upskilling," said Kenji Naito, Group CEO of Reeracoen Group, in a statement.

"By connecting businesses with high-calibre candidates, we will continue contributing to Singapore's vision of becoming a global AI hub."