askST: As AI reshapes jobs, what do employers look for in fresh graduates today?

About half of employers worldwide say they plan to reshape their businesses in response to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Survey 2025. 

Conducted in late 2024, the survey polled more than 1,000 employers across 22 industry clusters and 55 economies.

The same survey found that two-thirds of companies plan to hire talent with specific AI skills, while 40 per cent aim to reduce their workforce in roles where AI can automate tasks. 

The rise of generative AI in handling routine tasks will change the nature of entry-level roles, says Professor Mark Chong, dean of students at the Singapore Management University (SMU). Employers “may increasingly prioritise critical thinking, imagination, as well as the ability to (prompt AI) and interpret (its) responses” in these positions.

Some universities are already preparing students for this shift. At SMU, for example, every student is taught foundational digital and AI literacy, regardless of their major, says Prof Chong.

Q: As AI reshapes entry-level roles, what do employers look for in fresh graduates today?

Employers are looking for more than just users of AI, but “critical thinkers who can assess the implications of technology in real-world context”, says SMU’s Prof Chong.

He adds that the ability to collaborate effectively with AI is a key skill that companies seek.

“In an AI-accelerated world, employability depends not only on technical capability,” says Prof Chong, “but on the ability to integrate technology with human judgment, ethical reasoning and societal awareness.”

These are capabilities that SMU aims to cultivate across all undergraduate programmes, he adds.

The university’s core curriculum comprises courses that cover key concepts at the intersection of technology, science and society, says Prof Chong. The goal is to equip every undergraduate with foundational digital and AI literacy. 

SMU also offers four bachelor’s degrees with a strong computing focus for students who want to build deeper technical expertise: information systems, computer science, computing and law, and software engineering. 

“What distinguishes these programmes is their integration with SMU’s broader interdisciplinary and applied learning model,” Prof Chong says. 

This approach equips students to apply technology with purpose and responsibility in real-world settings, he explains, by helping them build a strong technical foundation alongside communication skills, business understanding and ethical awareness.

Q: What skill sets are becoming essential for graduates to stay employable as AI takes on more routine and analytical work?

In recent years, rapid developments in AI have led to technical knowledge alone being “less valued”, says Mr Jeremy Lee, chief executive officer of cleantech start-up SimplyGood.

The takeaway for workers is that having a degree may open doors, but it won’t protect you from becoming obsolete as in-demand skill sets evolve, Mr Lee says. “Adaptability will.”

The 34-year-old graduated from SMU in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in information systems. 

He co-founded SimplyGood in 2021. The start-up produces dehydrated cleaning tablets and sheets that dissolve in water, eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles.

Eight out of his 25-strong team at SimplyGood are fresh graduates, says Mr Lee. When hiring, he looks beyond technical credentials to prioritise culture fit, problem-solving abilities and a willingness to learn. 

Why is that important? Because of how fast business and technology evolve, he explains. “For example, we do a lot of (social media) marketing using Meta ads, and the algorithm changes every three months.” 

To keep pace, the company provides on-the-job training to new hires, Mr Lee says. 

He stresses that students should not treat technology like AI as “competition”. Instead, they should “learn to master AI and be really good at it”. 

At SimplyGood, employees are encouraged to consult generative AI for “a second opinion”, Mr Lee says. 

For example, when the marketing team runs social media campaigns, they review weekly performance data, feed it into an AI model, and prompt it for recommended next steps – such as whether to optimise an advertisement, pause it, or introduce new creative ideas. 

Mr Lee adds that AI is not a decision-maker, but a sounding board to help sharpen marketing decisions.  

SMU’s Prof Chong agrees that as AI takes on more routine and analytical work, the skills that matter most will increasingly be those that are “uniquely human”.

These include empathy, creativity, and contextual understanding – capabilities that AI cannot fully replicate, he says.

Q: Beyond landing their first job, how can graduates continue to stay relevant as industries evolve and new technologies emerge?

Graduates should focus on building long-term employability rather than relying on a narrow set of job-ready skills, says SMU’s Prof Chong.

What does this entail? “Anticipating change, remaining adaptable, and proactively shaping one’s own career trajectories over time.”  

Learning does not stop after graduation, he adds, encouraging fresh graduates to tap national resources, such as those from Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to reskill, upskill and stay relevant. 

For example, WSG offers career conversion programmes across some 30 sectors to help mid-career professionals transition into in-demand job roles with good longer-term prospects.

SSG also provides industry-relevant training programmes focused on emerging skills in Industry 4.0, as well as the digital, green and care economies.

Prof Chong adds that SMU’s curriculum is designed to prepare graduates for non-linear careers that may “span multiple roles, industries and phases of reinvention”.  

Beyond graduation, the university supports alumni through lifelong access to career support, including personalised coaching, access to a jobs portal, curated programmes and networking opportunities.

“This allows graduates to seek guidance not only when they are job-hunting, but also when they are navigating career transitions, reassessing direction, or stepping into leadership roles later in life,” Prof Chong says.

In partnership with Singapore Management University