employees feeling the pressure of technological adoption in the workplace.

With accolades such as one of the markets with the highest smartphone penetration in the world and the highest internet penetration in Southeast Asia, Singapore is primed for technological adoption and breakthroughs in the workplace. According to the Randstad Q1 2016 Workmonitor report, technology is top of mind for Singapore’s employees, for better or for worse.

impact of digitisation in the workforce

In Singapore, 84% of employees noted that the digitisation of the workplace has had a major impact on work, higher than the global average which revealed that 80% of respondents felt this way.

With the speed of technological adoption in the workplace, 89% of Singapore’s respondents noted that they felt they needed additional training to be able to keep up with technological developments. With the global average sitting at just 69%, Singapore’s high exposure to new digital processes and tools could be the underlying factor as to why respondents feel the increasing need for training.

Eight in ten Millennials aged between 18 and 24, despite being natives of the digital world, felt they needed digital training. Respondents aged between 35 and 44 seem to be feeling under pressure with these developments as 94% felt that they needed to stay up to date.Mr Daljit Sall, Associate Director, Randstad Technologies noted, “Singapore has truly become a hotbed for technological adoption with both large multinationals and small to medium sized businesses eager to utilise new technologies in all aspects of their businesses.”

“With this rapid adoption of technology, job scopes for roles are becoming increasingly blurred as candidates are increasingly required to be able carry out digital work in addition to their more traditional work requirements. With the high demand for digital skills, Singapore’s employees are feeling the need for additional training, and our Q1 Workmonitor results clearly show this,” noted Mr Sall.

Despite the increased speed and connectivity that technology has offered the workplace, respondents felt strongly that rather than bringing colleagues and external work contacts closer to them, it has in fact distanced them.

The Q1 Workmonitor results showed that 62% Singapore’s employees felt that technology has decreased the number of personal interactions with colleagues, compared to 46% globally. In terms of interactions with external work contacts, 79% felt that face to face interactions dropped, compared to 60% globally. A high percentage of 90% state they feel a face-to-face meeting is the best way to interact with someone. These insights are helpful when introducing new tech solutions to your employees, and helping them to understand how to balance tech and touch in the workplace.

about the Randstad Workmonitor.

The Randstad Workmonitor was launched in the Netherlands in 2003 and now covers 34 markets around the world, encompassing Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. The Randstad Workmonitor is published four times a year, making both local and global trends in mobility regularly visible over time. The Workmonitor Mobility Index, which tracks employee confidence and captures expectations surrounding the likelihood of changing employers within a six month time frame, provides a comprehensive understanding of job market sentiments and employee trends. In addition to measuring mobility, it provides insights into employee satisfaction and personal motivation, as well as explores sentiments around key trends shaping the world of work for employees each quarter. The quantitative study is conducted via an online questionnaire among a population aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimal sample size is 400 interviews per market, using Survey Sampling International.

Randstad is one of the world’s largest recruitment and HR services providers, with Asia-Pacific operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, China, Australia and New Zealand. Randstad Singapore specialises in permanent and contract recruitment, placing high calibre mid to senior level professionals in companies across key industry sectors. Since 1993, Randstad Singapore has been shaping the world of work, and continues to help organisations recruit the best talent in accounting & finance, banking & financial services, corporate & secretarial support, engineering, human resources, IT, life science and sales & marketing.