OPENNESS TO CHANGE AND DIGITALISATION OF PROCESSES WILL DEFINE SINGAPORE’S WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE SAYS NEW REPORT BY HAYS
Singapore is home to a number of government-led initiatives around infrastructure, education, digitalisation and skills development that are focused on keeping the country at the forefront of workplace development. These efforts may have also positively impacted the sentiments of working professionals, finds the new ‘Uncovering the DNA of the Future Workplace’ report by recruiting experts Hays.
Majority sure their workplace is ‘future-ready’
The report, that surveyed over 9,000 working professionals across Asia in February this year and again in September this year, revealed that 40 per cent of respondents in Singapore said they could confidently describe their organisation as future-ready – the highest such score in Asia. However, an almost equal number remains unsure (39 per cent), making it apparent that there is room for improvement still. When asked what could help increase the future-readiness of their organisation, the majority of respondents said digitalisation of processes (72 per cent) and openness to change (72 per cent), followed by increased training and development opportunities (67 per cent).
These findings are in line with the regional average, with less than half of total respondents across Asia (37 per cent) being confident that their organisation is future ready, and the majority saying that openness to change (71 per cent) and digitalisation of processes (71 per cent) is what will help their organisation get there.
Increasing digital confidence
More than half of respondents in Singapore (58 per cent) are confident their organisation’s current digitalisation journey is sufficiently placed to maintain relevancy in the next 3-5 years, up from 43 per cent who thought so before the pandemic made landing. This growth in confidence is visible from the high levels of technology adoption in Singapore even before the outbreak. 72 per cent of organisations had video conferencing software in place, a number that now stands at 85 per cent. 47 per cent of organisations had remote working access in place, a number that rose to 76 per cent after the outbreak.
Room for improvement in cloud adoption
The use of cloud-based systems, however, only saw a moderate increase from 53 per cent to 55 per cent, indicating room for further investment. The implementation of cloud-based systems will be necessary to make a significant and permanent shift to remote working for the long term. 68 per cent of respondents also said cloud computing was important for them when considering a new employer, as compared to only 11 per cent who thought so pre-covid.
However, the overall acceleration has been promising and fitting of the majority of respondents (84 per cent) who said their organisation’s digitalisation journey was important/very important to them, regardless of their role– a number that remained unchanged both pre and post-outbreak.
Grant Torrens, Regional Director for Hays Singapore commented, “While Singapore has the highest number of respondents who think their organisation is future-ready, the number still accounts for less than half of our total respondents in Singapore, with the majority saying that digitalisation of processes is what will help their organisation get there. While many organisations have seen accelerated digital transformation in the light of the pandemic, that the vast majority of working professionals believe their organisation’s digitalisation journey is very important to them, means that ongoing digitalisation will be a vital part of any organisation looking to stay relevant in the times to come. Communicating well about this journey will also help keep employees engaged and confident in their workplace’s vision for the future.”
About the Report
The DNA of the Future Workplace report is based on findings from two surveys conducted on more than 9,000 respondents respectively across the five Hays operating markets in Asia: China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore; to measure sentiments on the four core elements we believe will shape workplaces of the future: flexibility, technology, upskilling and purpose. The first survey was concluded in February 2020 at the cusp of the pandemic, with the second having concluded this September. By comparing the two surveys, our findings aim to form a definitive understanding of how the pandemic has altered working sentiments, as well as a barometer for organisations as they seek to understand, attract and retain top talent amidst current challenges and those to come.
Download your copy of the full report here.
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About Hays Singapore
Hays Specialist Recruitment Pte Ltd, Singapore ("Hays Singapore") is one of Singapore's leading recruitment companies in recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people across a wide range of industries and professions.
Hays has been in Singapore for over a decade and boasts a track record of success and growth. We operate across the private and public sector, dealing in permanent, temporary and contracting positions in more than 15 different specialisms, including Accountancy & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Digital Technology, Engineering, Finance Technology, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Life Sciences, Marketing & Digital, Office Professionals, Procurement, Supply Chain and Sales. Hays Singapore was named the “Best Small Workplace” in Singapore in 2019 and 2018, and was ranked fourth “Best Multinational Workplace” in Asia 2020 by Great Place to Work®.
Hays has been in Singapore for over a decade and boasts a track record of success and growth. We operate across the private and public sector, dealing in permanent, temporary and contracting positions in more than 15 different specialisms, including Accountancy & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Digital Technology, Engineering, Finance Technology, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Life Sciences, Marketing & Digital, Office Professionals, Procurement, Supply Chain and Sales. Hays Singapore was named the “Best Small Workplace” in Singapore in 2019 and 2018, and was ranked fourth “Best Multinational Workplace” in Asia 2020 by Great Place to Work®.
About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2020 the Group employed c.10,400 staff operating from 266 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2020:
- the Group reported net fees of £996.2 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £135.0 million;
- the Group placed around 66,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 235,000 people into temporary roles;
- 17% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);
- the temporary placement business represented 59% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 41% of net fees;
- IT is the Group’s largest specialism, with 25% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Construction & Property (12%), are the next largest
- Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA