The majority, or 81%, of employers in Singapore say that workflow automation will enhance employees' work instead of replacing them, according to findings from the recently launched National Trades Union Congress LearningHub.

Despite most employers affirming that workflow automation enhances employees’ work rather than replace them, 63% highlighted lack of background knowledge to utilise workflow automation as being a major challenge and 62% highlight the inability to establish the correct workflow.

Furthermore, while 75% say their organisations have experience with workflow automation, almost half, or 43%, of them say that they lack buy-in from employees to adopt these technologies. In the job market, 56% of employers are willing to offer a premium to hire talent in workflow automation, but 58% of employers highlight that there is inadequate interest among job seekers.

“The contrast between employers' positive attitudes towards workflow automation and employees' ambivalent views highlights the need to showcase to the public a different perspective about how such technologies benefit both organisations and staff members, such as achieving 'better utilisation of resources' (74%), 'carrying out mundane or tedious tasks' (70%), and 'reducing operational risks' (58%),” the survey stated.

Anthony Chew, Director of ICT Product Division at NTUC LHUB said, "In a turbulent Covid-19 environment, the imperative for a company to invest in efficiency and productivity is as weighty as educating its workforce.”

“With that in mind, it is key that business leaders assuage any anxiety their workers might have of new technologies so that they can truly harness the power of automated systems. Employees must also see the adoption of workflow automation as an opportunity to thrive in areas involving critical thinking and decision-making -- skills which are irreplaceable by machines. This is why we urge workers to learn about workflow automation in order to fully understand and best utilise it, rather than to fear it,” Chew said.