Here’s how you can stay relevant in the job market amidst AI disruption

The workforce will soon experience a “seismic shift” with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

AI will lead to job creation and job losses, which will lead to a shift in job demand, said Member of Parliament Desmond Choo during a budget debate session in 2024.

“AI advances and adoption by companies will be non-linear and therefore highly disruptive,” he added.

A challenge for youths

Those aged 17 to 35 are also no stranger to disruptions.

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted their final years of education or impacted the start of their careers.

In addition, youths are now seated with the challenge of riding this new tidal wave of technological advancement.

“For young Singaporeans and workers, they will either be riding this tremendous wave or be sunk by it,” said Choo.

Sounds intimidating, doesn’t it?

Skills mismatch

With disruption imminent, some might feel that the skills they have now might not be relevant in the world of tomorrow.

Around 52 per cent of young Singaporeans foresee the need to upskill to adapt to the rise of AI, said Choo.

This comes in the form of retraining shortly after graduation lest they find themselves on the wrong side of economic transition.

So, am I out of a job?

Well, not exactly, but only if you adapt.

It might be easier than you think, and you may already find yourself being set up for success.

Singapore is one of the most progressive countries in terms of AI usage.

A study by KPMG Australia and the University of Queensland found that Singaporeans are ranked the highest for users of AI at work, with 68 per cent already doing so.

Furthermore, youths of today have been exposed to technology at a young age. This can be leveraged to their advantage.

Younger generations are more likely to embrace it – 40 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials say they already accept AI systems, compared to 31 per cent of Gen X, and 22 per cent of Baby Boomers.

In addition, research by professional services company Deloitte showed that Singapore is the country least at risk in the Asia-Pacific region to experience disruption by AI in industries such as logistics, construction and manufacturing.

With significant investments being made to support workers in terms of upskilling, as well as AI research, Singapore has been lauded as one of the best-placed countries in its region to leverage future opportunities.

With the imminent threat of AI interweaving itself into the workforce, what can we do to prepare ourselves for this revolutionary shift?

Understanding AI

A survey commissioned by Salesforce and conducted by YouGov found that even though 40 per cent of its respondents use generative AI at work, there is a lack of understanding of practices that promote ethics and safety in the use of generative AI.

So, in order to utilise AI to gain an advantage in the workforce, there is a pressing need for workplaces to implement guidelines for the safe and secure use of trusted AI technologies, and implement training for workers to ethically and safely use the technology.

In addition, individuals should educate themselves about the usage of AI through digital literacy training.

Exploring and engaging

With the world at their fingertips, youths are also at the liberty to explore and experiment with their careers.

In addition, there are now more opportunities than ever to continuously upskill and learn relevant skills to cater to shifting workforce demands.

However, this task can be daunting, especially without support and guidance.

Comprehensive support system

To help with this, NTUC launched the NTUC Career Starter Lab with the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

The NTUC Career Starter Lab is a three-month career trial for host companies and jobseekers to explore a mutual job fit before embarking on full-time employment arrangements.

It will also provide youths with workplace mentorship facilitated by in-company mentors who can provide deeper insights into their industry of interest.

NTUC will also develop the NTUC Mentorship Hub, a career mentorship initiative for youths that will focus on sector-based support services.

Expanding career pathways

The NTUC Youth Taskforce has also made some recommendations to the government on ways to better support youths in exploring diverse career pathways.

They believe that lowering the eligibility age for the use of SkillsFuture credit from 25 to 23 would be beneficial for youths to explore their career interests at an early age.

This is because with evolving career needs and diverse pathways, more support should be provided to youths to encourage career exploration.

Another avenue for career exploration is overseas work stints for youths, including internship attachments.

This can be done by working with companies and schools to expand existing overseas programmes whilst mitigating barriers to overseas work viability for youths.

Ultimately, an increase in career exposure would allow youths to gain more exposure and experience in tackling new-age problems.

Tackling digital related challenges

NTUC has also started an initiative geared towards tackling digital related challenges in the workforce.

LIT is an initiative that aims to provide youths and young working adults with a range of career empowerment programmes to future-proof their skills for the digital workforce.

These include learning journeys, mentorships, career preparation workshops, masterclasses, industry sharing and others.

Career guidance and industry-related advice will be provided from more than 400 volunteer career coaches and guides from across 23 different industries and functions.

Furthermore, Young NTUC also offers an aggregated platform to help youths pursue their passions.

Called LIT DISCOvery, the platform helps youths achieve their aspirations, progress upwards or pivot in an increasingly tech-enabled workplace and future-proof themselves through sharing of industry trends by industry leaders and tech showcases.

The programmes also include soft-skills and technical skills masterclasses by C-suite professionals to help others gain a better digital understanding.

NTUC Starter membership

The NTUC Starter Membership gives youth aged 18 to 25 a head start in the workforce and supports their needs as they transition from school to work.

It allows them to access Young NTUC’s extensive LIT series of career programmes, including mentorships, masterclasses, learning journeys and conferences.

In addition, they can receive up to S$200 worth of credits for you to upskill, and get advice to help them understand the ins and outs of money and finances so that they can look forward to a future without worries.

Simultaneously, the membership offers curated benefits and experiences such as discounted movie tickets to help them enjoy and unwind

With ample help and opportunities, maybe the future isn’t so daunting after all.

This article is sponsored by NTUC.

Top photos via Alex Knight and Resume Genius on Unsplash