Automation firm Workato to expand Singapore headcount

Enterprise automation platform Workato, a Silicon Valley-based unicorn start-up, plans to grow its local headcount by more than five times, with 700 new jobs to be added by 2025.

Workato operates a "low-code" platform that customers can interact with using a drag-and-drop interface instead of having to write an extensive code to automate business processes. It aims to use Singapore as a springboard to expand in the Asia-Pacific as companies here and abroad increasingly look to digitalise and transform operations.

Yesterday, it launched a digital automation hub and its second global headquarters at Suntec City as part of a plan to invest $300 million in the region over three years.

Workato aims to add 120 technical and non-technical jobs here this year alone across business, technology and support functions, which will nearly double its local staff strength of 130 people. The firm has some 300 employees in the region, with Australia and Japan among its fastest-growing markets.

About 45 per cent of the roles, both current and future, are technical ones such as product engineering and data analytics, while the remaining 55 per cent are non-technical roles like human resources, finance, sales and marketing.

At the launch, Minister of State for Communications and Information Tan Kiat How said digital automation will be an important part of transformation in the next phase of the digital economy. Companies will look to automate processes and customer experiences, and create good jobs, he noted.

Mr Tan added: "Very happy to have companies like Workato in Singapore, developing solutions for our clients, and being part of the digital economy story."

Mr Allan Teng, who founded Workato's Asia-Pacific business and serves as managing director for Asia-Pacific and Japan, said the company is committed to maintaining a strong Singaporean core. About 80 per cent of its employees here are Singaporeans and permanent residents, and this proportion will be maintained as it expands.

Workato yesterday also inked agreements with three local institutes of higher learning to build up Singapore's talent pipeline. It will work with Singapore Polytechnic, the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to develop courses and provide training and industry engagement opportunities for students.

Mr Teng said another strategy to address the tech talent crunch is to help mid-career professionals from non-technical backgrounds upskill and take on more technical roles. "By giving them the tools, technology, skill set and also the guard rails, we allow people who are non-tech to become tech-enabled," he said.

Workato co-founder and chief executive Vijay Tella, who was also at the launch, said Singapore is known for its innovation and strong government support for tech start-ups and innovative technologies. "With its focus on innovation and business, Singapore has been a key springboard for Workato to expand within the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Besides housing the firm's physical working space, the new hub will host a Centre of Excellence for Automation to showcase the business value that automation can bring to enterprises. The venue will be used to conduct training and certification programmes, and businesses can attend complementary automation consulting sessions with Workato's in-house experts.