Last week, I attended the Singapore FinTech Festival, celebrating its 10th anniversary and showcasing innovations from blockchain and AI to Quantum Computing, crypto, digital assets and more.
My focus at the event was to learn and understand the talent/people-related challenges and opportunities that these new innovations bring.
My 4 Talent Takeaways
1. Singapore’s Leadership in Tech and AI
Singapore today ranks first globally on the IMF’s AIRI, “AI Readiness Index” (full rankings in comments).
This is driven by significant national investments in AI capabilities, infrastructure, skills development program and progressive strategies to attract global tech talent. Singapore has also committed nearly SGD $300m (USD $219m) through its National Quantum Strategy, positioning itself as future leader in quantum technology.
2. Multi-Location Talent Strategy
While Singapore is firmly focused on being a tech talent hub, conversations at festival highlighted that demand for technical talent in emerging fields is clearly outpacing available talent pipelines.
Progressive companies like SoftServe are adopting a dual strategy – investing strongly in local talent pools, while also tapping into global talent pools across key hubs. This approach ensures access to specialized skills needed to drive digital transformation at the pace demanded by the market.
3. Partnerships with Academia on Future Tech
Quantum Computing is the breakthrough technology set to emerge in the coming years, capable of solving some of the world’s most complex problems. A key barrier is talent: an estimated 10 million quantum-related jobs could be created by 2030, but only about 1 million qualified professionals are expected to fill them.
OCBC’s partnership with PhD students at the National University of Singapore on a ‘Quantum Computing Sandbox’ highlights how industry-academia collaborations are essential to building a pipeline of future-ready talent. (Thanks to the OCBC team for the 101 lesson on Quantum! 😊)
4. Balancing Technical Skills & Human-Centric Traits
In conversations at the event, there was a strong focus on pairing technical expertise with human-centric skills that are vital for navigating the digital era: critical thinking, creativity, communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability and more.
This intersection of talent and technology is the focus of my new podcast, Talent X Tech, symbolized by our butterfly logo. 🎙️
For me, the caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly serves as a metaphor for the transformations that organizations, leaders & teams will undergo on this journey.
This brings up so many questions.
I don’t know all the answers, but I do have some of the right questions to ask leaders at the forefront in the Future of Work.