twice the global average. A higher share than global peers aim to leverage new materials and composites (52%) as well as sensing, laser and optical technologies (39%). Workforce strategies are expected to focus on transitioning employees from declining to growing roles, with AI Specialists and Sustainability Specialists leading job growth, and administrative and data entry roles in decline. Overall, companies operating in Malaysia expect increased restrictions on global trade and investment (45%), alongside a heightened focus on government subsidies and industrial policy (34%) and stricter anti-trust regulations (31%) to drive transformation of their businesses by 2030. These responses are all above the respective global averages. Employers also regard broadening digital access as a key driver of transformation, highlighted by 79% of respondents. In response to these disruptions, businesses in Malaysia are exploring distinct approaches to reskilling: While most organizations anticipate self-funding their training programmes, 32% of reskilling efforts are expected to be co-funded across the industry, twice the global level. In addition, 35% of employers in the country plan to consider completion of short courses and online certifications when assessing skills of job candidates, more than twice the global average (14%). Broadening digital access and climate mitigation and adaptation efforts are expected to jointly shape labour-market dynamics in the Philippines by 2030. With two-thirds of employers in the country identifying skills gaps as a barrier over the next half decade, businesses are planning to scale up their reskilling efforts: 68% of Filipino workers are expected to require training to meet evolving skill demands (compared to 59% globally), but only 38% of workers are reported to have completed training today (compared to 50% globally). Employers operating in the Philippines anticipate that almost three in 10 workers will be upskilled and then re- deployed to new roles. In Singapore, 64% of employers operating in the country expect their business to be impacted by geoeconomic fragmentation, twice the global average. Similar to global and regional peers, firms in Singapore expect skills gaps, regulatory barriers and organizational resistance to hinder business transformation. Notably, 97% of companies plan to prioritize upskilling as their key workforce strategy, significantly above global levels. Hiring staff with emerging skills and process automation are also among anticipated key workforce strategies. While a skills-first approach is perceived as having the potential to expand Singapore’s talent pool, 58% of employers expect to continue prioritizing university degrees in hiring decisions, which is higher than the 43% global average. Economic uncertainty is top of mind for employers operating in Thailand, with 73% of respondents expecting slower growth to impact their business by 2030 – above the global average of 42% – and rising inflation and climate-mitigation efforts among other anticipated key trends. Talent acquisition is seen as challenging, with 62% of respondents facing difficulty attracting talent to their industry and 46% to their firms. Employers in Thailand are increasingly planning on leveraging diversity, Future of Jobs Report 2025 67