LinkedIn, Microsoft reveal Hong Kong’s AI workforce trends

HONG KONG: Tech giant Microsoft and business-focused social media platform LinkedIn shared findings on artificial intelligence (AI) usage at work, noting its growing adoption by employees and the hurdles for organisations in maximizing its benefits..

The 2024 Work Trend Index by Microsoft and LinkedIn indicates that in Hong Kong, a large segment of knowledge workers embrace AI to boost their skills. Specifically, 88 per cent of them utilise generative AI at work, with 86 per cent bringing their own AI tools.

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However, only 23 per cent of AI power users likely receive communication from their CEOs about the significance of AI usage, suggesting a lack of leadership involvement in promoting AI initiatives.

According to the report, business leaders in Hong Kong “recognised” the importance of AI for staying competitive, with 85 per cent of them believing that their company needs to adopt AI. However, 66 per cent of leaders expressed concerns about their organisation’s lack of a plan and vision for implementing AI.

The reported argued that the disconnect between business leaders’ recognition of the need for AI and the actual deployment of AI tools underlines the importance of “effective leadership” and “strategic planning” in driving AI transformation within organisations.

The report also identified the emergence of AI power users who extensively utilise AI in their work, reorienting their workdays and fundamentally transforming business processes. However, only a small percentage of AI power users receive tailored AI training for their specific role or function.

The report said that the adoption of AI skills has become “increasingly important” for job seekers in Hong Kong, with 77 per cent of leaders preferring candidates with AI skills over more experienced candidates without them. Such a trend shows a growing demand for AI talent in the job market and the need for professionals to continuously update their skill-set to remain competitive.

The report suggested that business leaders should encourage their employees’ “enthusiasm for AI” into tangible AI transformation initiatives. This includes leveraging the interest of AI active users to champion AI initiatives within organisations and providing comprehensive, role-based AI training to upskill employees.

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The report further stated that organisations should be encouraged to adopt enterprise-grade AI solutions to mitigate risks associated with employees bringing their own AI tools to work. By establishing a secure and trusted AI infrastructure, businesses can safeguard security and data privacy while enabling employees to harness the full potential of AI tools.