Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the workplace at an unprecedented pace, with jobs involving writing, data analysis, and coding evolving rapidly across sectors like media and communications, marketing, HR, engineering, and the arts. Meanwhile, roles centred on physical presence or human interaction, such as real estate and community services, are transforming more gradually, though AI integration is expected to accelerate across all industries.
According to LinkedIn's newly released Guide to Future-Proofing Your Career, the professional outlook in Singapore reflects both optimism and anxiety. Nearly 70% of professionals believe AI will improve their work lives, but 41% feel challenged by the rapid pace of change. The study emphasises a critical insight: understanding how to work with AI, instead of competing with it, is essential for career growth.
The research also highlights an enduring truth about the workplace. While technical skills matter, soft skills remain irreplaceable. Nearly one-third of the 25 most popular LinkedIn Learning courses focus on human capabilities such as time management, leadership, and problem-solving. Notably, 79% of professionals believe there is no substitute for human intuition and advice from colleagues. This underscores the continued importance of emotional intelligence, trust-building, and authentic leadership.
As AI literacy surges in Singapore, professionals are encouraged to experiment with AI on routine tasks to build confidence and gradually expand adoption.
Feon Ang, LinkedIn's Apac managing director, shares more about what these findings mean for professionals and business leaders navigating this transformation.
Your data shows an interesting split. While nearly 70% of Singapore professionals are optimistic about AI, 41% feel they're struggling to keep up. What's driving this tension?
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The pace of change in today's workplace is being driven by one factor above all: AI. And while the tools are advancing fast, what really matters is how we as professionals choose to work with them. That gap between interest and confidence is the real challenge, and also the opportunity.
What's the most practical way for professionals to build AI fluency?
The best way isn't through theory. It's through practice. My advice is to start small: use AI to summarise meeting notes, generate creative ideas, or streamline a repetitive task. Like any skill, fluency builds with use. Once professionals start integrating AI into their daily workflows, it stops feeling like a disruption and starts becoming a productivity partner.
See also: Singapore firms’ AI ambitions outpace readiness as workers resist robot managers
Almost four in five professionals say human intuition is irreplaceable. In a world where AI can do so much, what should people prioritise?
AI doesn't replace judgment. It amplifies it. That's why soft skills matter more than ever—communication, leadership, and problem-solving are what allow professionals to ask sharper questions, frame better problems, and make decisions that move teams forward. Communication, in particular, is now the most in-demand skill in Singapore.
At LinkedIn, we support this journey by equipping professionals with tools and insights to upskill and stay connected. LinkedIn Learning offers free AI-focused pathways with courses like "Introduction to Prompt Engineering for Generative AI" and "Vibe Coding Fundamentals: Tools and Best Practices."
What's your core advice for staying relevant?
AI may redefine how we work, but your ability to learn and adapt is what defines your career. Stay curious. Build a diverse skill set. And treat learning as a daily habit, not a one-time event.
Leadership is evolving. Your data shows a 31% rise in soft skills listed on leaders’ profiles over the past five years. What explains this shift?
Soft skills have always mattered, but their role in driving business performance has fundamentally changed. While technical literacy remains critical, it is human-centred skills like communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking that now underpin effective leadership in a complex, fast-moving environment. These are the skills that enable leaders to align teams, build trust, and guide organisations through transformation.
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In Apac, there's a sharp rise in demand for these capabilities among senior leaders. Singapore is no exception—seven out of the 10 fastest-growing skills for senior leaders here are soft skills. This mirrors how companies are restructuring work. As AI tools take over operational tasks, human skills are becoming central to how business gets done.
How are younger leaders approaching this differently?
Millennials are set to become the largest generation in leadership roles, and they bring a distinct mindset. With strong digital fluency, they prioritise presence over polish and understand that clarity and authenticity are key to building cohesion across increasingly hybrid, distributed teams.
Leaders today thrive not by technical know-how alone, but by adapting with agility while staying rooted in purpose. For example, in my conversation with DBS's CEO Tan Su Shan for my video series, At the Table, she shared that she relies on her 4Rs—resilience, relevance, responsibility and reinvention—as a compass to guide decisions in times of uncertainty.
The majority (88%) of business leaders say AI adoption is a top priority. What separates successful implementation from failed attempts?
AI literacy has become a core leadership skill. C-suite executives are three times more likely to add AI-related skills, like prompt engineering and generative AI tools, to their profiles today compared to just two years ago. Leaders are now 1.2 times more likely than the broader workforce to invest in AI upskilling. That reflects a growing realisation: you can't drive transformation from the sidelines.
And it's not just about speed—51% of companies that are actively integrating AI into their operations are already seeing revenue increases of at least 10%. That kind of performance delta changes the conversation from "if" to "how fast."
But clearly not everyone is succeeding. What's the missing piece?
Adoption alone doesn't guarantee success. Integrating AI into everyday workflows is fundamentally a change management challenge. Many organisations still underestimate the cultural shift required to embed AI use in daily habits and decision-making.
This is where leadership plays a defining role, not just in setting direction, but in modelling behaviour. Leaders who use AI fluently in their own work create psychological safety for others to follow.
What should leaders be doing differently?
The most effective leaders today are doing these three things:
- They develop personal fluency with AI tools not to become technologists, but to understand the practical value and limitations.
- They signal prioritisation through learning investments. In our data, 37% of companies are ramping up AI-related training and development this year.
- They create alignment between AI and people strategies by connecting the use of AI with job design, team workflows, and career development.
In short, leading in the age of AI requires a new kind of executive presence, one that balances technological confidence with human-centred leadership.
(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
