AI-skilled talent emerges as the hardest to find
The majority of employers in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East markets are reporting challenges in hiring employees, with AI-skilled talent emerging as the hardest to find, according to a new research.
The latest Global Talent Shortage Survey from ManpowerGroup reveals that 71% of employers in APME markets report difficulty in filling open roles.
This is almost on par with the global average of 72%, the report found.
By market, Japan reports the most severe constraints in hiring in APME, with 84% of employers observing recruitment challenges. The country also places third globally when it comes to talent shortages.
India reports the second-highest rate of employers seeing hiring challenges in APME with 82%. This is followed by the UAE with 76%, and then Singapore with 71%.
Meanwhile, only 48% of employers in China report hiring challenges, ranking the lowest in APME and globally.
AI-skilled talent hard to find
According to the report, individuals with AI skills are the hardest to find in the APME region. These AI skills include:
- AI Model and Application Development (27%)
- AI Literacy (26%)
- Traditional IT and Data (18%)
François Lançon, Regional President, Asia Pacific & Middle East, ManpowerGroup, said the findings show that the rise of AI has "fundamentally reshaped" the skills landscape and hiring process in APME.
"Today, AI skills are no longer niche capabilities—they are foundational to workforce competitiveness across the region," Lançon said in a statement.
Employers need to operate across multiple horizons simultaneously to address this challenge, according to the regional president.
"They need to support workers through rapid transformation in the now, ensuring they can adapt confidently to AI-driven change, while also preparing for the next by building deeper, future-ready AI capabilities that their organisations will rely on in the years ahead," he said.
"At the same time, the hiring process is changing at an accelerated pace and they now need to build, buy, or borrow the skills to recruit 'AI-enhanced candidates.'"
