Singapore workers tell researchers they lack expertise and job-training opportunities

Singapore

THREE reports released on Wednesday have painted a less-than-rosy picture for employee satisfaction and training opportunities in Singapore.

Employees know they need to brush up on their job skills, but say their companies are not providing enough learning and development (L&D) opportunities, professional network LinkedIn found in its survey.

Meanwhile, research commissioned by Singapore-based networking and mentorship startup Tigerhall found that 74 per cent of white-collar workers feel they lack the expertise needed to do their job well.

And then the third study by recruitment firm Randstad said 39 per cent of employees in Singapore plan to switch jobs this year; of them, 40 per cent cited a "limited career path" as their key motivating factor.

The desire for a new career opportunity has flourished despite a less-than-bullish outlook on the economy and jobs market, Randstad noted.

LinkedIn's survey found that two in three Singapore professionals feel daunted by the pace of change in their industries, and only 17 per cent are very satisfied with their company's L&D offerings; more than two in five have left a firm that didn't deliver on this front.

Survey respondents named cost, accessibility, access to resources and level of interest in the content of L&D activities as barriers to upskilling, but 57 per cent of them said time was the most significant barrier.

LinkedIn's "Future of Skills 2019 Report" said both employees (62 per cent) and L&D professionals (54 per cent) in Singapore see soft skills as important in determining career progression.

In the Tigerhall study, survey respondents - asked to name areas where skills were lacking - were split equally between soft skills (such as managing people, negotiation or making presentations) and role-specific skills (such as digital marketing and financial modelling).

Among white-collar workers who said they lacked the expertise to excel, 78 per cent held university-degree level education and 69 per cent, a Masters degree. This raises serious questions about the content and value of university degrees and adult courses, said Tigerhall.

The Randstad's Employer Brand Research 2019 report looked into generational differences among its participants, and found younger workers more attracted to employers with pleasant work environments and good training.

One in three millennials (33 per cent) prefer jobs in companies that provide robust training programmes for continuous career and skills development; 42 per cent of Gen Z candidates (those born between the mid-90s and mid-2000s) look for "interesting jobs they can feel excited about".

Mature workers were found to value flexibility and strong management: 38 per cent of professionals aged 35 to 54 seek companies which offer flexible work arrangements. This contrasts with millennial workers, 69 per cent of whom say they do not mind working in the office.

Attractive salary and benefits were the most important criteria for 65 per cent of respondents, followed by good work-life balance (61 per cent), job security (42 per cent) and career progression (39 per cent).

Work-life balance and the use of latest technologies are top areas with the biggest gap between employees' notions of ideal employers and what Singapore companies were perceived to offer. (For example, a healthy work-life balance is the second highest consideration for employees, but is second last on a list of what Singapore companies are perceived to offer.

The study added that 31 per cent of employees in Singapore think about resigning when they are not fairly recognised or rewarded, or are unable to strike a balance between work and their personal lives.