Businesses across six ASEAN markets are leaning toward selective hiring while putting operational efficiency and artificial intelligence among their leading investment priorities, according to a survey released by Reeracoen Group and Rakuten Insight through PR Newswire. The study covered 3,630 consumers and business leaders in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in June 2026.
The release says 32% to 47% of businesses in the surveyed markets were hiring selectively, while 7% to 16% were actively expanding headcount. Operational efficiency was identified as a leading growth priority by 35% to 43% of respondents, and AI and technology ranked among the top three priorities at 24% to 33%. The ranges show a shared direction, but they should not be treated as one uniform ASEAN market.
Country results underline that difference. Singapore recorded the highest stated focus on AI and technology investment at 33%. Indonesia led the survey’s business-confidence measure at 66%, while Malaysia showed the strongest domestic-market focus at 75%. Vietnam had the highest reported consumer optimism at 48% and the largest share of businesses actively expanding hiring at 16%.
For employers, selective hiring usually means that each role must connect more clearly to revenue, productivity, compliance or delivery. It can increase demand for workers who combine technical knowledge with sector experience, while making broad recruitment campaigns less useful. Companies entering a new ASEAN market may need smaller teams with deeper local operating capability before they add scale.
The AI findings also point to an implementation gap. Investment intent does not show which systems have been bought, deployed or measured. Buyers still need evidence on data readiness, operating-process redesign, governance and the ability of teams to use tools reliably. Vendors that treat the percentages as proof of immediate demand risk confusing interest with budget and deployment.
The consumer portion adds another operating signal. The release says 71% of Indonesian respondents and 70% of Philippine respondents were seeking additional income, while 39% of Vietnamese respondents considering a career change cited AI and automation as a primary reason. Those results suggest that workforce planning is being shaped by household pressure and technology expectations at the same time.
The survey is useful as a directional snapshot, but its public release does not provide every sampling and weighting detail needed to compare the six markets with precision. Business leaders should use it to form questions for local hiring and investment decisions, then test those questions against company data, sector conditions and country-specific labour markets.
The hiring ranges also fit a market in which employers remain willing to invest but are scrutinising fixed costs. Selective recruitment can coexist with expansion when companies prioritise sales, engineering, compliance or country-management roles and defer more general hiring. That makes job-title demand a more useful signal than a single regional headcount indicator.
For workforce and market-entry planning, the country split matters more than the regional average. A team built for Singapore’s technology-investment priorities may not match an Indonesia growth plan or Vietnam expansion programme. Employers should compare the survey direction with current vacancies, salary data and sector demand before changing recruitment targets.
Source note
This report is based on the Reeracoen Group and Rakuten Insight release distributed by PR Newswire, a paid-release copy in The Straits Times and the release copy published by TMCnet. Survey percentages are attributed to the publishers and treated as directional findings.