Asia is becoming a global source of talent for technology. The number of young workers is increasing as each year passes, and now, global companies are preparing themselves to welcome digital natives into their workforce. As one of those global companies, SAP is also actively taking part in supporting the digital economy in Southeast Asia.
On an article published by Computer Weekly, Eugene Ho, SAP Southeast Asia’s head of corporate affairs, pointed out that to help the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) workforce to be ready for the digital economy, businesses, educators and the governments itself should co-invest in education and skills. Additionally, the individuals themselves should also be willing to be a part of the digital revolution and be ready to capitalise on it.
Based on a Deloitte survey result, only 20{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of youths feel that being part of the digital revolution is part of their responsibility. Ho noted that this kind of mindset is harmful and quoted that “one can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”
At the 35th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits held in Thailand, Ho shared his views on the skills that will be needed to support the ASEAN digital economy. In the session, he talked about data intelligence and its role in the current era. He also shared what SAP has been doing so far to help the region in its upskilling efforts.
Eugene Ho emphasises increasing demand for data skills
Ho noted that the fourth industrial revolution, or IR4.0, is expected to bring about many opportunities and that the individuals and companies that will thrive during this era are those with advanced and adaptive data skills. He was quoted saying:
“By 2030, McKinsey estimates that as many as 375 million workers may need to change their occupational categories and learn new skills to adapt to automation and digital transformation.”
During the session, Ho also shared that 60{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the expected population in the ASEAN region will comprise of individuals under 35 years old. Meanwhile, China and India lead the statistics for having the most significant number of millennials; however, he also pointed out that the lack of actual skills to succeed in the workplace could be a big concern. He noted that up to 27{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of millennials and Gen Z in the workforce would eventually leave their jobs because of the lack of learning and development opportunities.
As for companies, Ho noted that they can expect an enterprise value of 3{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} to 5{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} for industries with a higher corporate data literacy rate. The challenge now is getting CEOs to prepare their current workforce with data skills.
SAP’s role in learning and development
Eugene Ho praised SAP for putting its focus on the learning and development aspect. Their efforts have helped SAP establish a reputation as one of the most innovative companies in the world. In a statement, he said:
“Our focus on learning and development has made us an employer of choice in many of the countries that we operate in and enable us to have a thriving ecosystem of customers and partners in ASEAN.”
He also noted that 91{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the top 100 ASEAN companies and 88{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the ASEAN companies listed on the Forbes Global 2000 list were SAP customers. When it comes to digital learning and development, SAP is the leader in delivering massive online open courses (MOOCs).
Ho highlighted that SAP’s MOOC platform, openSAP, has more than 28,000 learners coming from 10 ASEAN member states. It is open to anyone for free. The openSAP platform has been helping individuals learn new skills through courses for various disciplines such as data science, machine learning, and robotic process automation.
During the session, he also highlighted some of SAP’s prominent initiatives, particularly with the ASEAN Foundation for the ASEAN Data Science Explorers training programme. They have also collaborated with Skills Future Singapore and other polytechnics for the SAP Skills University Singapore initiative.
Lastly, Eugene Ho emphasised the two things that need to be worked on to enable a digital ASEAN to unlock growth: an individual culture of learning for a lifetime and a collective culture that allows the growth of learning and development of the digital workforce.
