Technology can play key role in advancing careers in Asia-Pacific
- Shawn Liew
To retain and grow top talent amidst changing workplace dynamics, employers are increasingly leveraging technology to provide support and meet employee needs, according to a new study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence.
Of the 6,000 respondents from Asia-Pacific countries including Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, 88% believe robots can support their careers better than a human by giving unbiased recommendations (41%); delivering resources tailored to their current skills or goals (38%); or quickly answering questions about their career (37%).
89% of respondents also want technology to help define their future by recommending ways to learn new skills (40%); identifying skills they need to develop (39%); and providing next steps to progress towards career goals (37%).
The pandemic has set a new course for the future of work, and employees are beginning to feel more empowered, suggested Shaakun Khanna, Head of HCM Cloud Applications Strategy, Asia Pacific, Oracle.
He said, “They have found their voice and are not hesitating to speak up on what success means to them. With these changing priorities, organisations need to do more to attract and retain talent. They need to double down their efforts to help employees identify and develop new skills and provide personalised career journeys to put them in control of their careers once again.”
With the study also finding that more than half (55%) of respondents struggling with mental health at work in 2021 when compared to 2020, Shaakun also highlighted how humans still have a critical role to play in career development and providing support – technology, while important, exists to augment those efforts.
“Organisations need to develop a sense of human empathy, and bring this to the next level, while still achieving business results. Technology can help to evoke a sense of empathy; for example, managers can use technology to check work loads and see if employees are working too hard,” he concluded.
