Worker sentiment could scale or stall AI mission, Accenture says

Only 15% of finance and 22% of healthcare workers expressed satisfaction over AI use.

Only 15% of financial services workers and 22% of healthcare workers in Singapore said they are very satisfied with their working lives as AI use becomes widespread, according to a new Accenture study.

About four in 10 workers in each sector were moderately satisfied, suggesting many remain functional at work but are not fully engaged.

Accenture said these are the workers who will determine whether Singapore's AI ambitions scale or stall, as financial services and healthcare sectors are designated under the National AI Mission.

Between 62% and 78% of financial services workers across every sub-sector already use AI at least three days a week, but only 18% said AI was extremely relevant to their current roles.

The study found that about 30% of workers who received AI training from their employers said it was unhelpful.

Workers consequently relied on trial and error, informal knowledge-sharing, and social media, which together accounted for 41% of the sources from which Singapore workers learned about AI.

A group Accenture described as the under-enabled workforce accounted for 23% of financial services workers, with nearly half being middle managers and a third having more than 15 years’ experience. Only 10% are satisfied with their working lives.

The study also found a gap between senior leaders' confidence in their AI abilities and their demonstrated competence.

About 46% of senior financial services workers and 55% of senior healthcare workers overestimated their AI capabilities, whilst junior and middle-ranking employees were generally more accurate in assessing their skills.

Despite describing themselves as drivers of AI transformation, senior leaders in both sectors ranked redesigning work around AI last amongst 10 organisational priorities.

Attitudes towards AI also differed between the two sectors. Amongst financial services workers who expressed pessimism about their work future, 22% feared that AI could replace their roles. In healthcare, only 9% of similarly pessimistic workers shared that concern.

Accenture attributed part of the difference to Singapore's AI in Healthcare Guidelines, which emphasise AI as a tool to support rather than replace healthcare professionals.

The study said financial services workers have no equivalent framework that clearly defines which aspects of their roles should remain distinctly human.

The study was based on 1,008 workers across financial services and healthcare.