Adrian Choo, CEO of Career Agility International, joins Jeremy Au to explore how AI, job insecurity, and shifting regional trends are reshaping the future of work in Southeast Asia. They discuss why Singapore is losing its dominance as a regional employment hub, how mid-career professionals are getting priced out, and why Gen Z graduates are entering the job market without marketable skills. Adrian shares how he sold skeletons to pay for university, how he pivoted from headhunter to coach, and why building career resilience is more urgent than ever. He also explains how his AI assistant "Becky" helps him think faster, make decisions, and stay ahead in a volatile job market.
02:00 Adrian bootstrapped university by selling ethically sourced skeletons: He imported medical-grade bones from Europe after a supply shortage in Asia and sold them to medical students, storing 30 sets in his bedroom when no one would rent him storage space. This experience taught him practical business skills before he even began his degree.
04:10 Career insecurity, not job insecurity, shaped his path from GE Plastics to headhunting: Adrian realized early that employees have no real control over their job stability. He pivoted into executive search to own the entire value chain, hunting, closing, delivering, and later into coaching to future-proof his impact and income.
12:47 He pivoted again after seeing LinkedIn disrupt headhunting: In 2012, Adrian began preparing to move into strategic career coaching, anticipating that LinkedIn would flood the market and erode differentiation. It took him six years to complete the transition, positioning himself as the only coach with C-suite search experience in Singapore.
16:50 Career coaching today is about adjacencies, vertical scaling, and AI integration: He explains that landing a job doesn't fix a sunset industry or outdated skill set. Instead, he focuses on helping client’s re-skill toward adjacent roles or industries. His in-house AI, Carol, is being trained to suggest such strategic pivots.
21:13 Adrian uses a personally trained GPT AI named Becky as a sparring partner: He trained Becky to match his communication style and decision logic, enabling her to summarize dense research, propose coaching content, and even argue against his ideas. This AI assistant has become a productivity multiplier and trend-spotting tool.
24:18 Singapore jobs are being offshored to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok: Due to high costs and tighter visa regulations, multinationals are moving regional functions out of Singapore. A returning Malaysian diaspora and strong expat interest in cities like KL and Bangkok are fueling this trend, making Singapore-based professionals less competitive.
30:48 Gen Z graduates are leaving school with skills employers do not want: Many lack coding, business, or AI skills. Adrian cites examples of graduates from top local universities who remain unemployed or underprepared. He urges them to lean into AI, gain real-world experience, and stop relying on paper qualifications alone.
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