SINGAPORE – 2025 is shaping up to be a year of exploring job opportunities as 65% of talent surveyed in Asia Pacific say they are on the hunt for a new job, according to LinkedIn’s latest data.

Despite having a larger talent pool, however, 2 in 3 HR professionals (61%) say the process of finding the right talent has become harder.

More candidates competing for positions

From the candidates’ point of view, the job search process has become equally arduous: 41% or 2 in every 5 candidates are having to apply to more jobs than they did before, yet they hear back less often.

Given the volume of applications coming in, HR professionals are feeling inundated. A quarter of those tasked to screen candidates (24%) have to spend three to five hours a day sifting through the applications. However, less than half of job market hopefuls meet the criteria.

A mismatch between talent and job opportunities

All this is an indication of the growing mismatch between talent supply and demand.

The global AI revolution in the past eight years has led to a 300% surge in demand for AI talent.

However, many candidates who are actively looking for a job today still fail to meet companies’ requirements for new skills.

When analysing LinkedIn’s list of jobs on the rise, 70% of entries are new additions. “The lists show an increased demand for AI and sustainability roles—Artificial Intelligence Researcher, Sustainability Analyst and Consultant are amongst some of the top roles across APAC,” LinkedIn said.

But even as the AI and green tech sectors generate new opportunities, employers and job seekers alike are left to contend with the same question: are people even prepared to take on these new roles?

By 2030, a staggering 70% of skills needed for jobs in APAC are forecast to change because of generative AI.

The technical skills (52%) and soft skills (48%) required to perform these emerging roles effectively are still hard to come by, according to HR professionals.

Overall, 67% of these respondents believe there’s a mismatch between the skills job seekers have and the skills their organisation needs.

“While these changes are driving innovation and growth, they are also presenting new hiring challenges,” LinkedIn said.

Speeding up AI adoption

For 9 in 10 C-level executives, building their companies’ agility in AI integration is top of their agenda in the next 12 months.

Looking at the current reshuffling in the job market—with more people job hunting—employers will need a dependable recruitment tech stack to find the right talent, fast.

“Access to hiring technologies—including AI-powered tools—is the #1 thing HR professionals (54%) in APAC say would make the hiring process easier, with nearly three-quarters (78%) saying AI makes it easier to find qualified candidates,” LinkedIn said.

When it comes to the looming skills gap, employers are aiming to “build skills from within”.

HR professionals (78%) said their companies are putting a premium on upskilling in AI, sustainability, and soft skills.

“It’s great to see businesses taking an intentional and proactive approach on navigating these workplace changes—whether that’s by investing in AI-powered hiring tools to supercharge recruiting efforts, or prioritising upskilling initiatives to build the skills their organisation needs from within,” said Sumita Tandon, HR Director, APAC, LinkedIn.

“Finding the right person for a role often feels daunting and difficult. And it’s natural that companies have been finding it harder to find the talent they need—especially when you consider that many of the fastest-growing job roles we see today didn’t even exist 20 years ago,” Tandon said.

“However, ensuring you have the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles will be crucial for a business’s success in the years to come.”