Research from Microsoft finds that the rise of Agentic AI is reshaping traditional organisational charts and driving workforce change.
By Maggie Mancini
The rise of AI-driven intelligent agents in Singapore is redefining the traditional organisational chart and transforming knowledge work at every job level, according to research from Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index. The latest data exposes a widening capacity gap in Singapore, with 58% of leaders saying productivity must increase, but 81% of the workforce — both employees and leaders — saying they lack enough time or energy to do their work. This is supported by Microsoft 365 telemetry data, which shows that on average, employees are interrupted every two minutes by meetings, emails, or pings.
However, with the rise of agents that can reason, plan, and act as digital labour, roles and organisations will reshape to scale capacity as needed. Already, 85% of leaders say this is a pivotal year to rethink core strategies and operations, while 82% are planning to use agents to expand workforce capacity in the next 12 to18 months.
“AI is fundamentally changing the way we work across Asia, making organisations smarter, faster, and more impactful,” says Andrea Della Mattea, president of Microsoft ASEAN. “In Singapore, we’re seeing incredible readiness and commitment to AI, with 82% of leaders ready to scale with AI agents and 80% planning to create AI-focussed roles. By prioritising upskilling, leaders are also ensuring their teams can effectively leverage AI, which is essential for maintaining a competitive edge and driving innovation. This proactive approach is putting Singapore at the forefront of AI-driven transformation in the region.”
The rise of AI means intelligence is no longer bound by headcount or expertise, but has become an essential durable good: abundant, affordable, and scalable on-demand. As AI continues to democratise access to expertise, the data shows an evolution from rigid and hierarchical organisational charts to more fluid “work charts,” where teams are formed around outcomes rather than siloed functions like marketing or finance.
With agents acting as research assistants, analysts, or creative partners, companies can deploy lean, high-impact teams on demand. In fact, more than half of Singapore leaders (56%) are already using agents to fully automate workstreams or business processes, well-above the global average (46%).
But to maximise impact, organisations need to achieve the right ratio of human and digital labour for specific tasks. The report highlights that employees in Singapore turn to AI not to replace human value, but to access capabilities humans can’t provide: 24/7 availability (39%), machine-driven speed and quality (30%), and unlimited ideas on demand (27%). Almost half of employees in Singapore now treat AI as a thought partner (47%) while slightly more still treat it as a command-based tool (51%).
Business leaders in Singapore are ahead of the curve, with 80% of leaders report being highly familiar with AI agents, compared to just 41% of employees. To bridge this gap, 51% of managers expect AI training or upskilling to become a core responsibility for their teams in the next five years. Within the same period, leaders in Singapore expect their team’s scope to include redesigning business processes with AI (36%), building multi-agent systems to automate complex tasks (46%), as well as training and managing agents (37% and 39% respectively).
The findings suggest APAC’s early adoption of AI agents, with 53% of the region’s leaders already using agents to fully automate business processes, well-above the global average of 46%, could translate into significant competitive advantages over the next decade. From the boardroom to the frontline, success will increasingly involve skillfully delegating to and managing teams of specialised AI agents.
