Big data, analytics skills in hot demand amid tech boom

SINGAPORE – Professionals with skills in big data and analytics are the most sought-after in the Asia-Pacific region as well as worldwide, a global survey of IT leaders has shown, with organizations investing heavily in technology amid unprecedented political and economic uncertainty.

According to a survey of chief information officers (CIO) and technology leaders by recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash and business consultancy KPMG published on Tuesday (May 23), more than half - 51 per cent - of respondents in the Asia-Pacific region said big data/analytics remained the most in-demand skill, followed by business analysis at 37 per cent. Globally, skills in big data/analytics remained the most sought-after at 42 per cent, up 8 per cent from last year.

The survey showed that almost half - 46 per cent - of all CIOs in the Asia-Pacific report they are currently investing in, or planning to invest in digital labour, cognitive automation or robotic process automation, placing the region far ahead of the global average that stands at 34 per cent.

Mr Nick Marsh, Managing Director, Harvey Nash Executive Search APAC, said: “Technological advances are occurring at an astonishing pace, coupled with the ever-changing political and economic landscape. We are living in very exciting, yet unpredictable, times. The 2017 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey highlights that many technology executives are turning this uncertainty into opportunity and are becoming the driving force in making their organisations more nimble and digitally innovative. Technology leaders are becoming increasingly influential, as chief executive officers and boards turn to them for help in navigating through these uncertain times.”

Mr Ram Lakshminarayanan, Partner, Management Consulting at KPMG Singapore, said: “Widespread and active implementation of digital strategy is on the rise. Those we have identified as digital leaders are more focused on innovation and growth, spend proportionately more on IT and are investing more aggressively in disruptive digital technologies such as digital labour; in some cases, at twice the rate of other organisations. Similar trends are observed in Singapore, where CIOs are placing more emphasis on building sustainable business models by leveraging technology to drive top-line growth.”

However, the rapid pace of technological advancement brings with it deep risks. Cybersecurity vulnerability is at an all-time high, the Harvey Nash/KPMG survey showed, with more than a third of APAC IT leaders - 36 per cent, compared to 32 per cent globally - reporting that their organisation had been subject to a major cyberattack in the past 24 months – an increase of 4 per cent from last year.

Worryingly, only 20 per cent of IT leaders in the Asia-Pacific region said they are “very well” prepared to respond to these attacks, with 15 per cent reporting they feel exposed and not at all prepared to deal with cyberattacks. Despite the headline-grabbing WannaCry ransomware attacks which hit individuals and organisations in more than 150 countries earlier this month, the biggest jump in threats comes from insiders, the survey showed.