New report reveals an emerging position that adds human touch to AI adoption
Singapore is emerging as a top hirer of AI trainers in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new report, signalling the city-state's growing adoption of AI in workplaces.
Findings from Deel's latest State of Global Hiring Report, which analysed more than a million contracts across over 150 countries, showed the rise of the AI trainer as a specialised profession in workplaces.
According to the report, general AI trainer roles hired from abroad grew by 283% in 2025, the single fastest-growing cross-border role on Deel's platform.
The AI trainer role is the market's response to the need for humans in the wake of rising AI adoption in workplaces, and a sign that the technology is also creating new roles for employees.
"AI trainers embed human judgement into how models learn and improve, while product managers sit at the intersection of customer insight, technology, and growth," said Karen Ng, regional head of expansion - enterprise - North and South Asia at Deel.
"Together, they underline that even in an AI enabled economy, it is human expertise that ultimately sets the direction for how these tools are built and how they create value. This is the kind of specialised talent that companies are increasingly hiring across borders to stay competitive."
Top hirers of AI trainers
Deel's report indicated that Singapore stands out as the top employer of AI trainers globally compared to larger markets in the APAC region.
AI trainers in Singapore also command the region's highest median hourly rates of US$25.20.
The data follows recent research showing that the city-state's adoption of AI is expanding, and rising at a faster pace than other markets.
"Singapore is now backing its AI ambitions with serious institutional muscle," Ng said. "At the same time, the emergence of AI trainers as a specialised profession and the growth of strategic roles like product leaders are important signals in their own right."
Globally, the Deel report found that more than 600 organisations are now employing AI trainers, with 58.2% of AI trainers based in the United States.
India and the Philippines also account for the second and third highest percentage of global AI trainers on Deel, according to the report.
"AI trainers developing and refining systems in areas like economics, medicine, and translation," Deel's report read.
"Tapping into the global talent pool brings in native speakers and subject matter experts. Depending on the skill-level and overall needs of the AI, trainers are making anywhere from $15-75 per hour."
