Only 20% of Singapore's Youngest Workers Use AI Daily, Report Finds
Source: TNGlobal
Only 20 percent of workers aged 18 to 26 in Singapore use AI daily, the lowest across all age groups says ADP Research's People at Work Report 2026, challenging assumptions about Gen Z leading AI adoption.
Only 20 percent of workers aged 18 to 26 in Singapore use AI daily — the lowest rate among all age groups, according to ADP Research's People at Work Report 2026. The figure trails those aged 27 to 39 at 25 percent and workers aged 40 to 54 at 23 percent, revealing a surprising generational divide in Singapore's otherwise rapidly digitising workforce.
The report, released on Thursday, shows that overall AI confidence is improving — only 10 percent of workers in Singapore remain unsure about how AI could change their jobs, down from 19 percent a year ago. Daily AI usage across all age groups sits at 23 percent, with 56 percent using AI multiple times a week. However, a perception gap persists: only 15 percent of workers strongly agree that AI will positively impact their job responsibilities. Knowledge workers are the most optimistic at 22 percent, roughly double the share of skilled task workers and three times that of repetitive task workers.
Adoption varies significantly by company size. Mid-sized organisations with 250 to 999 employees lead at 34 percent daily usage while small firms and large enterprises each sit at 19 percent. Yvonne Teo, VP of HR for APAC at ADP, noted that smaller firms may benefit from greater access to practical AI tools while larger organisations may need to simplify processes to scale usage. Globally, daily AI users are four times more likely than non-users to report feeling less productive, suggesting adoption alone does not translate to perceived value.
Why it matters for Singapore: The finding that Singapore's youngest workers — digital natives who grew up with smartphones — are the least likely to use AI daily challenges the assumption that Gen Z will naturally lead AI adoption at work. For Singapore's push to build an AI-ready workforce, the data suggests that consumer tech fluency does not automatically translate to professional AI usage. Targeted training and clearer productivity use cases may be needed to close this intra-generational gap. With only 15 percent of Singapore workers believing AI will improve their jobs, HR leaders and policymakers face a confidence challenge as AI becomes embedded in workplace tools.