IDC predicts that “By 2026, 20% of frustrated knowledge workers with no development experience will take charge of transforming how they work by building their own agentic workflows, improving cycle times by 50%.”
While FutureCIO doesn’t hold the analyst to the numbers predicted above, human emotions, character and habits have long swayed how work is done. Where we are today is an opportunity to take these human attributes out of the workflow with the intent of delivering on the demands for efficiency, productivity and the possibility of human-machine harmonisation.
In 2025, Asia's workforce faces a persistent talent shortage, with Hong Kong particularly affected by a digital skills deficit that hampers productivity.
A Randstad report highlights that 62% of employers in Hong Kong cite talent scarcity as their top HR challenge, exacerbated by rapid AI integration demanding skills in machine learning and data analytics.
CIOs play a pivotal role here, leveraging IT infrastructure to drive upskilling programmes and workflow automation, enabling organisations to close gaps through internal development rather than external hiring.
Daniel Cham, general manager for Workday Greater China, emphasises a skills-based approach: "One thing that they are also increasingly becoming aware of is that getting talent is difficult, but developing talent in-house is very, very important."
He notes that 60% of Hong Kong business leaders perceive a talent shortage, with only 28% confident in long-term skills readiness. Cham advocates focusing on both hard and soft skills, influenced more by experience than formal education, allowing faster internal promotions via platforms that identify and activate employee potential.
However, traditional degree-centric hiring has not worked, as it overlooks adaptable talent, while agentic AI-driven tools are proving effective in automating skills mapping to boost productivity by 30% in regional firms.
Embracing multi-generational workforce dynamics
Asia's multi-generational workforce in 2025 demands tailored technology adoption, with CIOs orchestrating IT strategies to bridge generational divides in tech usage and career expectations.
Surveys indicate that 90% of professionals believe diverse age groups enhance business success, yet differences in technology familiarity—such as younger workers' preference for search-based interfaces—pose challenges.
"Different generations grew up with different technology and devices, right? So, with our generation, we always looked for the menu bar, but now you can find everything from searching," observes Cham.
He stresses personalised onboarding to build loyalty among younger talent, who value gigs like volunteer work, while mature employees prioritise productivity tools to reduce manual tasks.
Organisations are finding success by integrating AI for seamless information access, fostering collaboration and culture —key for IT leaders innovating workflows in a region where Gen Z and millennials seek purpose-driven paths.
Shielding against burnout
Enterprises across Asia are increasingly deploying technology to combat burnout, with 35% of employees at high mental health risk amid long hours, though proactive tools like AI pulse surveys are becoming commonplace.
CIOs are central to this, integrating intelligent automation to monitor wellbeing and automate routine tasks, reducing workload by up to 20%.
Cham explains: "With Workday, our customers get to use a different approach to understand their employee pulse... It has to be more frequent. So, with Workday, on the more extreme end we do weekly surveys."
He highlights AI's role in analysing cultural nuances for global operations, enabling data-driven decisions on benefits. While surveys and AI insights are standard, investment lags in personalised mental health apps and burnout prediction models, areas where IT innovation could yield significant productivity gains in high-pressure markets like Hong Kong and Japan.
Skills activation using AI
In 2025, 61% of Hong Kong organisations leverage AI for skills mapping and tracking, above the global average, allowing employees to focus on higher-level tasks and enhancing productivity.
CIOs drive this through data platforms that integrate AI for real-time insights, crucial for Asia's fast-evolving job market.
Cham states: "61% of Hong Kong respondents report AI usage in their departments, most likely GenAI to help with productivity... Employees in Hong Kong are also more likely than global peers – 97% versus 93% - to agree that AI allows them to focus on higher-level responsibilities."
Agentic AI automates tracking, but challenges remain in data quality; successful firms use it to activate skills beyond rules, fostering innovation in workforce management.
DEX drives business agility
Digital Employee Experience (DEX) has evolved in Asia as a productivity cornerstone, with CIOs prioritising unified platforms amid hybrid work trends. Functional leaders must view DEX as vital for revenue growth, linking employee happiness to operational efficiency.
Cham asserts: "There is a very direct relationship between the productivity and revenue of a company with the happiness of its employees and customers... DEX is also a key factor in improving productivity."
Post-pandemic, DEX incorporates AI for collaboration and data access, enabling agile restructuring and remote engagement—essential for IT-led innovation in dynamic Asian enterprises.
Merging finance and Ops
Hong Kong firms in 2025 show growing finance-operations integration via intelligent automation, with 80% ready for AI-driven workflows to eliminate silos. CIOs facilitate this through API economies and unified dashboards, boosting decision-making speed.
"One of the primary challenges faced today by organisations is the issue of data silos... Platforms like Workday allow for the streamlining of operations by aligning data provided by various personas." Daniel Cham
Agentic AI enhances this, automating processes for real-time insights, positioning Hong Kong as a leader in efficient, scalable operations.
Measuring tech ROI collaboratively
CIOs in Asia partner with HR and finance to quantify ROI on workforce tech, using benchmarks and AI analytics for value realisation. This ensures investments deliver, with agentic AI streamlining evaluations.
Asked how he sees organisation integrating agentic AI to improve employee productivity and engagement, Cham emphasises the importance of C-level collaboration, stating, "Even an HR project is not solely HR; it involves finance, IT, and operations." Aligning strategies across these departments is crucial for success.
Cham describes: "We like to work out a business case during the discovery phase... After three to five years, we conduct value realisation, which is easy because our platform gathers and consolidates all of it." IT's role in data consolidation aids accurate KPI setting, vital for justifying spends in cost-conscious markets.
CIO roadmap for 2026
Asia's evolving digital infrastructure and regional diversity offer fertile ground to pioneer agentic AI-driven business reinvention – including its use in nurturing and growing employee engagement with the organisation.
For 2026, CIOs should prioritise C-level alignment and clean data for AI integration, transforming workflows into human-machine partnerships.
"C-level collaboration is crucial to business success... It is essential to develop a clear roadmap to put all of these silos together for better decision making." Daniel Cham
He urges focusing on data quality and self-service cultures, with Hong Kong's proactive AI mindset positioning it comparably to global peers for innovation.
Cham concludes that viewing AI as a partner in the business transformation journey is essential. "It’s about co-working with AI, not seeing it as a threat," he asserts.
By fostering collaboration, ensuring data quality, and embracing a culture of change, organisations can successfully navigate digital transformation and enhance their workflows. This holistic approach will ultimately lead to innovation and improved operational efficiency.
Change management must be embraced at all levels, starting with leadership. "If leaders embrace change, the entire organisation will follow suit."
