As organisations accelerate the rollout of artificial intelligence tools, new workforce assessment data from Singapore-based Epitome Global suggests skills gaps could become the main constraint on AI-driven productivity in 2026.
Based on aggregated skills assessments conducted across Singapore and Malaysia between 2023 and 2025, only about one in five professionals consistently demonstrate behavioural traits the company associates with “AI-ready” talent, including persistence, curiosity and reflective learning, Epitome said.
The findings draw on assessment data involving more than 200 participants across workforce development, employability and organisational programmes, the company said.
While more than 70% of participants reported advanced digital literacy, Epitome said deeper gaps remain in higher-order skills needed to supervise AI tools, interpret outputs and integrate them into workflows.
About 56% of respondents rated themselves at a basic level in decision-making, while around 42% reported only basic confidence in computational thinking, it said.
“AI tools are scaling faster than workforce readiness,” Kevin Chan, chief executive of Epitome Global, said in a statement. “In the next phase of adoption, the differentiator will not be access to technology, but clarity around what people can actually do, how they make decisions, adapt and collaborate with AI-enabled systems.”
Epitome said the widening gap between digital literacy and decision-making capability could raise execution risks as companies move beyond pilots into more complex deployments, where employees must validate AI outputs, manage exceptions and make accountability decisions.
The company also outlined five workplace trends it expects to shape organisations in 2026.
These include disengagement and “skills decay” as rising risks to performance; continued difficulty in moving from basic AI use cases to deeper workflow integration; a shift in parts of Southeast Asia and India from cost-based outsourcing toward higher-value technical roles such as engineering, product, IT and data science; intensifying “fire-and-hire” cycles as employers cut roles that no longer match future needs while recruiting selectively for advanced and cross-functional skills; and a more strategic role for senior employability as ageing workforces push companies to tap experienced staff as knowledge carriers, reviewers of AI-assisted work and mentors.
Epitome said outcomes in 2026 are likely to be shaped less by the number of AI tools deployed and more by how effectively organisations measure, develop and deploy workforce skills.
Epitome Global, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Singapore, provides workforce intelligence and skills analytics to public and private sector organisations for workforce planning, assessments and targeted upskilling.
Business News Asia