A shortage of trained tech workers is a key issue in holding back the development of growth fuelled by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the APAC region. 

In AI-advanced markets like Singapore, replacing legacy technology and addressing financial hurdles are paramount when it comes to successfully integrating AI and unlocking the full potential of digital tech. 

Singapore in particular has been investing heavily in AI, but this investment is reliant on equipping its workforce with the necessary skills needed to then apply the technology in practical terms. 

Late last year Veracity Trust Network announced we’d been awarded the Cybersecurity Co-Innovation and Development Fund (CCDF) – CyberCall grant – by the Cyber Security Agency Singapore (CSA). 

This grant will be used to develop and deliver the next generation of our technology, providing advanced malicious bot detection working in collaboration with Shein, a global efashion retailer headquartered in Singapore. 

Veracity Group CTO Stewart Boutcher, who has overall responsibility for the APAC region, said at the time of the announcement: “Working on the CyberCall project has been critical to support our innovative approach in using AI and machine learning to detect and prevent even the most sophisticated human-spoofing bots for a common good.  

“Being at the heart of the Singaporean cybersecurity ecosystem will aid our continued goal to ensure we stay ahead of the bad actors that produce these malicious bots,” he said. 

However, despite its forward thinking when it comes to cybersecurity, Singapore and other APAC countries are suffering from a serious shortage of skilled workers according to a number of recent surveys and reports. 

ManpowerGroup’s Talent Shortage Survey 2025, discovered 83% of APAC employers report difficulty filling positions and a recent TeamViewer report – The key AI trends transforming businesses worldwide – found high implementation costs were a key barrier for 30% of businesses. 

Working with the shortage 

In a recent report, the Deloitte Center for Integrated Research, found creating a high-performance technology function is not just an issue for information technology leaders but has become an urgent business priority that spans the C-suite. 

Although dealing with a shortage of qualified tech workers in the USA specifically, the report is also applicable to the wider global issue, including APAC. This shortage spans various industries, particularly technology, healthcare, and skilled trades. 

The growing demand for tech worker talent across industries is driving a highly competitive marketplace for the pool.   

HR outsourcing service provider EOS said the APAC region was experiencing a significant talent shortage driven by demographic changes, technological advancements, and evolving market demands. 

Impact on Employers: 

• Increased Recruitment Costs: The competition for skilled tech workers has driven up recruitment costs, with companies needing to offer higher salaries and more attractive benefits to attract talent. 

• Operational Challenges: Shortages in critical roles can lead to operational inefficiencies, delays in project timelines, and increased workloads for existing staff, potentially leading to burnout. 

• Strategic Growth Inhibitions: Companies may struggle to implement growth strategies effectively due to the lack of available talent to support expansion plans. 

The company advises a number of strategies to deal with this shortage, including looking at competitive compensation packages, but also investing in career development opportunities, a positive work environment, and a clear organisational purpose.  

The potential for AI improvements 

Research from McKinsey shows that AI innovation in products and services could add up to about 7% or around $6tn to the world’s GDP by 2030. 

In Singapore, where the drive for AI is backed by significant government support and investment, the potential for transformative impact exists in sectors as varied as finance, healthcare and logistics. 

But the benefits very much rely on having tech workers who have the necessary skills to leverage these AI tools to drive business, not just to automate tasks. Data scientists and computer literate programmers are needed to deploy the technology. 

The 2022 Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy Global Executive Study and Research Project found that employees derive individual value from AI when using the technology improves their sense of competency, autonomy, and relatedness. 

The report was conducted as part of an MIT Sloan Management Review research initiative in collaboration with and sponsored by Boston Consulting Group. 

It looked at how farmers at Land O’Lakes, a member-owned cooperative agribusiness, was using data and AI to make smarter decisions. Teddy Bekele, CTO of Land O’Lakes, said farmers were now “making decisions rather than following a recipe.”  

That is, they are no longer adhering to age-old family traditions about how to cultivate the land, but neither were they blindly following the AI recommendations. Instead, the farmers were forging their own paths – better informed, but still independent. 

The report offers three key insights: 

1. Individual value from AI is critical for organisations to obtain value from AI. 
2. Individuals benefit from AI when using the technology enhances their competence, autonomy, and/or relationships. 
3. Managers can encourage AI use and catalyse value creation at the individual level by cultivating trust, understanding, agency, and awareness. 

TeamViewer’s AI opportunity report shows that 73% of respondents view AI as essential for career growth, with those more familiar with AI reporting greater confidence in using it.  

This is particularly evident in AI-advanced nations like Singapore (94%) and the US (87%), where respondents are more comfortable with AI compared to lower adoption countries like France (76%). 

Preparing for AI deployment in APAC 

IBM’s recently commissioned study – The AI Readiness Barometer: AI Landscape – found that although 85% of ASEAN organisations acknowledged the power of AI to help business achieve key strategic goals, only 17% of them had a mapped-out AI-strategy for it. 

The study conducted by Ecosystm, examines AI adoption trends across ASEAN, including use cases with the biggest impact for specific business units. It reveals a significant gap between organisational optimism about AI readiness and the harsher reality.  

For instance, while 39% of surveyed technology, data and business leaders rated their organisations as being in the transformative stage of AI readiness, Ecosystm’s data showed that only 4% of organisations actually had that degree of AI maturity. Almost a fifth (16%) said their organisations were AI-first, whereas Ecosystm found only 1% qualified. 

“Generative AI has propelled AI into the spotlight, driving a surge of interest in this game-changing technology in organisations throughout the region,” said Catherine Lian, General Manager, IBM ASEAN. 

“The tangible benefit for organisations lies in scaling AI to speed up innovation and productivity, and this study suggests the way forward. Unfortunately, many technology and business leaders overestimate their organisation’s ability to implement AI successfully. AI readiness requires a strong leadership, robust data strategy, the right talent to execute it and a well-thought-out governance framework to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI.  

“Without these strong foundations, organisations risk implementations that focus solely on the technology’s capabilities but fail to weigh up the longer-term impacts on the business,” she added.   

Veracity Trust Network is one of those companies working in the APAC region and deploying patented and award-winning AI and ML technologies in the fight against the cybercriminals.  

We are an award-winning cybersecurity company, specialising in the detection and prevention of malicious bot activity in the web sphere: websites, web and mobile-web applications and APIs, with native mobile protection to follow.    

Our award-winning bot protection suite helps businesses mitigate against the risks, reduces wasted spend, improves customer experiences, and provides deep reporting insight into your system’s true performance.     

 

19th Feb 2025