Vietnam Leads Southeast Asia in AI Enthusiasm as Singapore Workers Stay Sceptical
Source: The Business Times
An ADP survey of 39,000 workers reveals 29% of Vietnamese workers strongly believe AI will benefit their jobs versus just 15% in Singapore — the lowest in SEA. Singapore workers also rank lowest in job security confidence and employer upskilling trust.
A sweeping ADP survey of more than 39,000 working adults across 36 markets has laid bare a striking divide in how Southeast Asian workforces view artificial intelligence: Vietnamese workers are the region's most enthusiastic AI adopters, while Singaporean employees rank as the most sceptical. The findings challenge the assumption that advanced economies naturally embrace AI faster than emerging ones.
Some 29 per cent of Vietnamese workers strongly agree AI will have a positive effect on their jobs — the highest in Southeast Asia — while Singapore registered just 15 per cent, the lowest. Vietnam also recorded the region's highest daily generative AI usage at 36 per cent, placing it second globally only behind India's 41 per cent. Singapore's daily usage sits at 23 per cent. Jessica Zhang, ADP's Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific, explained the divergence: "Workers in more mature markets like Singapore want to see proof that productivity is improving before confidence levels rise."
The scepticism extends to job security. Only 15 per cent of Singapore workers strongly agree their jobs are safe from AI displacement, again the lowest in the region. For knowledge workers the figure is 21 per cent, while among repetitive-task workers it drops to just 10 per cent — the lowest across all five surveyed Southeast Asian countries. Confidence in employer upskilling is equally weak: only 13 per cent of Singapore workers strongly agree their employer invests in the skills they need, compared to 25 per cent in Indonesia.
The survey also uncovered a productivity paradox: workers using AI are four times more likely to report feeling less productive than non-users. Zhang noted that adoption alone does not guarantee meaningful workplace impact, and workers need help identifying specific situations where AI improves their workflows. In emerging markets like Vietnam, workers adapt faster to new tools because the professional landscape is less entrenched.
Why it matters for Singapore: The ADP data paints a worrying picture for policymakers pushing Singapore's AI transformation agenda. Despite ranking among the world's most AI-ready nations by infrastructure and policy, Singapore's workforce is the region's least confident about AI's impact on their jobs and careers. As the city-state prepares to chair ASEAN in 2027 with AI as a central pillar, winning worker trust — not just deploying technology — may be the harder challenge.