Southeast Asia needs skilled digital marketers to help our region grow

A topic I’ve talked about lately – which you may know if you follow me – is the need for more digital knowledge and talent in Southeast Asian markets. Filling the talent gap is vital - continued economic growth actually depends on it. 

According to the Google-Temasek report from late last year, more than 100,000 highly-skilled professionals in Southeast Asia are employed in digital industries. The talent pool is growing 10% per year, and Southeast Asian companies are working hard to recruit and develop talent across different functions. However, the report also calls out that to keep up with growth, companies need to grow their teams by more than 10% per year!

What are people saying about the situation?

This is echoed when I speak with advertisers and advertising agencies across Southeast and South Asia. There is indeed a need for upskilling and talent – especially digital talent. When I visit these markets myself, I'm blown away by how digital is enabling new opportunities and growth for both consumers and businesses.

To respond to these new opportunities, your business must attract talent. Once onboard, your talent must have the right tools in their toolbox and keep their skills and knowledge fresh. I know Google is keen to help here and when I posed this question on social media, it was great to see others share their point of view, data and tips. 

This article from ecommerce IQ sheds light on the talent demand. According to a short community survey, the top 3 departments in Southeast Asia struggling to find talent are digital marketing, senior management, and tech. The top 3 skills that are hard to find are: problem solving (54.8%), technical skills (54.8%) and strategic thinking (45.2%), and the top 3 skills crucial for a successful job candidate are: problem solving (67.6%), strategic thinking (67.6%) and willingness to learn (45.2%).

If you’re struggling to hire a strategic problem-solving digital marketer with technical know-how, you’re not alone. 

So how do we turn this around?

So, what do we do about it? I believe there are a couple of routes we can and should explore:

1. Attract talent from all over the world.
2. Funnel graduates into digital industries to keep growing the talent pool from juniors upwards.
3. Upskill more experienced marketers in digital skills.

When we chatted on my post, Simon Kemp suggested that in order to make the Southeast Asian markets a more compelling employment proposition for expats, we need to invest in PR efforts to share our region’s story – why we’re such an amazing place to work and live. That’s how we can build broad global appeal, similar to how Silicon Valley did in the past. An interesting challenge!

As for paths 2 and 3, we must focus on both teaching new talent and upskilling existing talent. If you let one fall by the wayside, you neglect half your potential workforce. Digital media skills are essential for any company in the digital era, from interns to brand managers to finance staff to the C-suite. You must understand the world you live and work in, and the world your customers live and work in, after all.

Yes, I will plug Google initiatives, but I’m proud of them!

Google has been working to enable small and medium businesses in ASEAN to thrive in the digital era. These resources are good for both skilling and upskilling – meaning, if you or your employees are just starting to learn digital, or if you’re interested in expanding your toolbox or your employees’ toolboxes. 

Did you know that across ASEAN’s 10 countries, small and medium businesses employ more than 80% of the workforce? And they contribute more than 50% of the region’s GDP. I’m going to quote our blog here: “A new study even projects that ASEAN could gain an additional $1 trillion in GDP by 2025 by using its digital economy to accelerate intra-regional trade and growth.”

That’s why we believe that the path to success is in training digital skills in this area. Google aims to train three million small and medium business workers across Southeast Asia and South Asia in digital skills by 2020. We run programs like Gapura Digital in Indonesia, Digital 4.0 in Vietnam, and Mahir Digital Bersama Google and the SME Leadership Academy in Singapore. We offer accessible training via workshops and apps like Primer and Academy for Ads for businesses of all sizes that want to upskill or train. 

But it’s up to all of us to get doing by teaching, learning, and sharing. 

What can you do to fill the skills gap today, or this week, or this month? 

Learn one new thing. Teach one new thing. Share one new resource with your network. 

Together, we can attract and educate more digital marketers today, so our beautiful region can thrive.