"DIGITAL technology is reshaping labor markets" was the opening line in the Asian Development Bank's 2022 report on the rapidly shifting job landscape in Asia.

This statement is even more profound this year with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how it could transform the way we work. As one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, Asia-Pacific is facing a talent crunch for the most in-demand technology roles.

Organizations couldn't find and hire skilled talent fast enough, with cloud computing engineers, generative AI talent and cybersecurity experts highlighted as the top three roles experiencing exponential demand in recent Skillsoft research.

With so many quality digital skills training offerings and industry certifications available, it's now easier than ever for people to kickstart a career in these fields. Here's how you could do it!

The foundational field

Cloud computing is a broad field, with cloud-focused jobs in high demand across all industries in Asia-Pacific for workers who have foundational to advanced cloud skills. Even seasoned IT professionals could greatly benefit from pivoting to cloud computing roles.

If you fall into this category, then you're well positioned to fill an in-demand, hard-to-fill cloud role, get tapped for special cloud projects, or take advantage of company-funded opportunities to reskill, upskill and earn a cloud certification.

For individuals from non-IT backgrounds, there are opportunities to capitalize on the growing demand for cloud talent. Workers in HR, marketing, sales, finance and more bring a different viewpoint to the table, and a shared understanding of cloud computing technology helps break down barriers between business and technical staff.

This makes it easier for teams to collaborate and translate customer needs into solvable issues for technical teams, which in turn enables better solutions for customers that are deployed faster.

If you're from a non-tech background and want to kick-start a cloud computing career, you could begin with free, self-paced digital foundational cloud skills training and then leverage it to pursue a cloud practitioner industry certification.

Industry certifications are a great way to validate your experience and stand out among other job applicants. Gallup and AWS research found that 76 percent of Asia-Pacific employers are starting to recognize digital certifications as acceptable substitutes for a bachelor's degree.

The emerging field

These days, businesses are working with tremendous amounts of information buried within gigabytes of customer purchase data, website navigation trails or responses to email campaigns. AI, machine learning (ML), analytics and the Internet of Things could help turn this disparate data into high-quality predictions from patterns and relationships in the data.

But businesses don't always have the skilled talent to help extract, analyze and utilize this data to make high-quality decisions.

The field of AI is developing fast and has the potential to drive transformative innovation across every industry and improve customer experiences. We anticipate that AI related jobs and careers will continue to evolve as AI goes mainstream and generative AI is incorporated into new applications globally.

For example, the excitement around generative AI has created an even greater need for ML engineers. With ML underpinning AI, helping machines extract data and learn autonomously, ML experts are in high demand. Executives and leaders also need to understand how machine learning and generative AI could help address their business challenges and drive business growth.

For both IT and non-IT professionals, adding foundational data analytics and machine learning skills to your skill set could help you deliver new solutions for the business and your customers.

The evergreen field

Cybersecurity is a central pillar of defense for any size organization, including governments.

Cybersecurity analysts work to protect all categories of data from theft and damage, including sensitive data, personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), personal information, intellectual property, data, and governmental and industry information systems.

Research conducted by Forrester found cybersecurity breaches could result in significant costs for an organization, with an average breach costing $2.2 million. That's a staggering sum, especially for smaller businesses.

The threat landscape is continuously evolving, so organizations will always need a strong team with cybersecurity, risk management and data privacy expertise.

Professionals with cybersecurity skills and industry credentials are in high demand, with a global shortage of 3.4 million cybersecurity practitioners in 2022. It's not surprising, then, that cybersecurity training is the most sought-after training for organizational decision-makers and individuals.

When Stephen Mac, a senior principal IT security specialist at BAE Systems Inc., was presented with an opportunity to upskill in security, he didn't hesitate. "I had to quickly learn so I could become an asset to my company and the customers I work with," said Mac. "The skills I learned helped me become a better security professional and improve my communication with developers and administrators."

Stephen complemented his training by earning several cloud industry certifications that have helped him further advance his career opportunities.

Building cybersecurity skills in the cloud presents profound opportunities to be at the center of an organization's data defense strategy. If you're already well-versed in cloud computing, then consider further future-proofing your career by adding cybersecurity skills to your CV.

A place for you

The cloud is democratizing technology careers for individuals in all disciplines and experience levels across Asia and the Pacific. We're seeing cloud roles emerge in every industry, for both IT and non-IT workers.

For anyone interested in joining the technology industry, start reskilling or upskilling yourself with freely available cloud training resources and explore what the world of cloud computing could offer.

The cloud is a fast-moving frontier, and it's supporting the region's digital transformation.

There has never been a more important time to pursue a career in cloud computing.

Emmanuel Pillai is the head of training and certification for Asean at Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud services platforms.