Nine in 10 Singapore leaders factor in strong thinking skills in recruitment

More than nine in 10 business leaders in Singapore factor strong thinking skills in their decision to hire candidates for an organisation, according to a new report from the NTUC LearningHub.

The report found that 34% of business leaders consider thinking skills as very important among job candidates, while another 60% consider them somewhat important.

The strong emphasis on thinking skills during hiring comes amid growing recognition for such skills in the wake of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

Nine in 10 business leaders in the report consider it important that all employees are equipped with a basic level of thinking skills, regardless of their job industry or role.

Source: NTUC LearningHub

In fact, most of them said thinking skills are crucial for augmenting employees' technical skills (96%) so workers can take on higher-value roles (96%).

"The interplay among these skills enables employees to tackle challenges, adapt to changes, and make calculated decisions, especially as technologies like AI become integral in the workplace," said Amos Tan, Chief Core Skills Officer of the NTUC LearningHub, in a statement.

According to the report, 41% of business leaders believe combining thinking skills with technical skills is essential to maximise human capital in the organisation. They place equal importance on thinking skills, such as:

• Problem solving (12%) 
• Strategic thinking (11%) 
• Critical thinking (10%) 
• Analytical thinking (10%) 
• Logical thinking (10%) 

Tan said strong problem-solving, critical, and creative thinking allow employees to "purposefully steer generative AI systems to produce optimal and accurate outputs."

"Also, while AI can process data quickly and predict outcomes based on patterns, offer insights or recommendations, at the same time when combined with humans' strategic and critical thinking, AI helps decision-makers interpret these insights within business contexts and nuances, guiding decisions that align with the organisation's values and goals," he added.

Thinking skills gap

Amid strong demand for thinking skills, however, the report also found that 84% of business leaders believe there is a gap in such skills in the workplace.

Tan said the gap underscores the vital need for comprehensive training in thinking skills.

To address this issue, 43% of business leaders have sent employees for thinking skills training in the past year.

Another 55% of respondents also plan to send their employees for training in thinking skills within the next six months.

"Arming employees with thinking skills not only boost organisational productivity but enhances individual career resilience and allows employees to unlock new opportunities for career growth," Tan said.