UiPath, an enterprise automation software company, has found that 18% of employees globally are concerned they may be affected by layoffs, and that 23% of them have already experienced them at their company. The numbers in Singapore are above-average at 30% and 34% respectively, with even more Indian respondents reporting the same (46% and 44%).
The leading contributors to burnout for Singapore workers are: Pressure from managers/leadership (40%), too much time spent on tactical tasks; working beyond scheduled hours (38%) and uncertainty about career opportunities at their company (33%).
The UiPath survey* also found that 69% of workers in Singapore believed that automation can address burnout and improve job fulfillment, higher than the global average (58%) and third-highest of all countries surveyed globally. In the Asia-Pacific region, the numbers range from Japan at 36%, and India at 86%.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of workers in Singapore
also reported that they view employers that use business automation to help support employees
and modernise operations more favourably than those that do not. In general, 79% globally view employers more favourably if the employer uses automation. The numbers trended higher than average for India (93%), Japan (77%), and Singapore (82%).
Employees are being asked to do more work with less support, with 47% of all Singapore respondents saying they’ve been asked to take on more tasks at work in the past six months because of layoffs or hiring freezes (globally, 28%; Australia 32%; India 53%, and Japan, 5%). As work piles up, it takes a toll on employees — about one in four workers (26%) in Singapore report feelings of burnout (against Australia, 35%; India, 36%; and Japan, 13%;) — and more staffers are leaning on AI tools to provide relief, giving rise to the Automation Generation.
The Automation Generation does not represent a specific age or demographic, the company said, but rather, the professionals embracing AI and automation to be more collaborative, creative, and productive. This generation of workers wants these technologies to enrich their work and personal lives and prevent them from feeling like robots themselves, UiPath explained.
Forty-nine percent of Singaporean workers are already using business automation solutions at
work, the second highest among all countries surveyed globally. Of these workers comprising
the Automation Generation, 87% feel like they have the resources and support needed to do
their job effectively and 81% believe business automation solutions can help address burnout
and enhance job satisfaction. The numbers for business automation benefits are also high globally at 83%, with India topping the ranks at 94% and Japan scoring the lowest at 67% of respondents. Australian respondents were also optimistic (88%).
The survey of 581 Singaporean workers also found:
● Automation Generation workers desire flexibility, upward mobility, and spending less time on manual tasks: When asked what aspects of their job would change with the help of automation tools, Singaporean workers said they wanted more flexibility when it comes to their work environment (47%), more time to learn new skills (43%), and less time spent on manual tasks (42%).
● Workers are increasingly looking for automation and AI-powered tools to help with mundane, repetitive tasks:
○ Nearly seven in 10 (69%) of Singaporean workers believe that automation can address burnout and
improve job fulfillment. This contrasts with global figures of 58%, and 67% in Australia, 86% in India and 36% in Japan.
○ Workers are most interested in automating these tasks:
- Analysing data (58%);
- Inputting data/creating datasets (54%); and
- Resolving IT/technical issues (50%).
○ Workers who are using business automation solutions say it has enabled greater productivity (55%), more accurate work (46%) and better internal workflows (45%).
○ Regardless of job role, 55% of workers are interested in becoming citizen developers to create new automations that could enhance their work/life balance. A citizen developer does not have the traditional coding skills that programmers have, but is able to achieve results with a low code/no code solution.
● More than half of all Singaporean workers across generations are receptive to the potential of AI-powered automation in helping them at work. More than half of all Generation Z (85%), Millennial (72%), Generation X (65%), and Baby Boomer (57%) respondents think that automation would help them do their jobs better.
“Disruption in the workplace and macroeconomic factors often mean employees are asked to bear that burden by doing more with less—but it doesn’t need to be that way,” said Brigette McInnis-Day, Chief People Officer at UiPath.
“The employees of Automation Generation are embracing AI-powered automation so they can better manage their workloads, excel in their careers, and improve their work-life balance. Businesses that deploy AI in an open, flexible, and enterprise ready way are best positioned to attract and retain the types of employees that will help them thrive in an automation-first world. Automation is a key differentiator for companies to attract and retain by empowering employees and driving engagement.”
“As the Singapore economy continues to remain volatile due to the global outlook, automation can play an important role in helping organisations navigate challenges, as it has the potential to transform industries and improve the lives of workers,” said Jess O’Reilly, Area VP, Asia at UiPath.
“The insights from our survey has shown that the majority of Singaporean workers are ready to embrace AI-powered automation to support them at work. To enhance job satisfaction and increase productivity of workers, organisations in Singapore must augment capabilities of the human workforce with automation to ensure sustainable business growth.”
*In partnership with Researchscape, UiPath conducted this research via an online survey fielded in March 2023. There were 6,460 respondents to the survey. Topline results were weighted to be representative of the collective economy by each country’s GDP: US (55%), Japan (10%), Germany (9%), India (8%), UK (7%), France (6%), Australia (4%), and Singapore (2%).
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| Source: UiPath Automation Generation Survey Report. Workers from India feel the most burnt out. |
