Singapore’s labour market is showing signs of improvement that companies are expected to increase their hiring activities. Recent economic growth forecast for next year noted that sectors such as fintech and healthcare will see good job opportunities, while workers in manufacturing and trade may face more uncertain job prospects.
According to a Workforce Singapore (WSG) spokesman on Thursday (Nov 29), jobseekers need to identify and learn the right skills to capitalise on job openings as hiring picks up. To stay relevant in the talent market and maximise their job searches, it is crucial for jobseekers to understand current market trends, assess the skills required for the jobs, as well as actively acquire these skills.
WSG is committed to continue helping Singaporeans find jobs by providing more information on openings and working to improve job-matching services. As more jobseekers are going online for their job search, the statutory board pledged to enhance its job search website MyCareersFuture.sg based on feedbacks from jobseekers and employers.
Even though job prospects are good, experts said that there is skill gap especially in areas such as cyber security and robotics, Straits Times reports.
“New skills take time to build and job seekers may need a certain level of specialised knowledge or experience to be able to move into those roles,” said National Trades Union Congress assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay.
See: IT Employers in Singapore Prioritise Technical Skills Over Soft Skills When Hiring
The latest study released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry found that a skills mismatch had the biggest impact on job application outcomes, out of six possible mismatches studied, including differences in industries and salary expectations. The study also highlighted the importance of having the right non-generic skills, such as programming languages Java and Python for information and communications jobs, and nursing and physiotherapy for healthcare jobs.
Singapore Human Resources Institute president Erman Tan said the difficulty in solving the skills mismatch lies in training not being able to catch up with industry needs, and relevant skill sets becoming harder to pick up.
“Economic restructuring is moving towards deep skills, as technology is much more sophisticated,” he said, adding that cyber security is one area where training seems to lag behind.
Also, users now expect software to be much more user-friendly, secure and better at predicting their wants. “It’s no longer just easy programming, like what you saw 10 years ago,” he said.
Read also: Hiring Needs Evolve as Talent Squeeze Persists in Southeast Asia
