SkillsFuture Singapore identifies 'priority skills' in digital, green and care economy

THE digital economy, green economy and care economy are high-growth areas with increasing opportunities in long-term career progression for Singapore workers, according to a report by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

Within these 3 growth areas, SSG has also identified the top 20 clusters of priority skills that are required by the most number of job roles across the sectors under each of the economy, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said at the launch of the inaugural report on Wednesday (Dec 8).

"The Skills Demand for the Future Economy report is not an exercise in predicting the future, but an exercise in being forward looking," said Chan, adding that the report will be refreshed annually.

"The larger objective is to raise awareness, provoke discussion and most importantly spur all of us to take action to arm ourselves with these 'tools' for the future," he said.

Chan noted that digital economy jobs are now required across all 23 sectors with Industry Transformation Maps (ITM), and the majority of these jobs are "tech-lite roles" that do not require specialised and advanced IT skills.

These include data analysts, digital marketing analysts and customer insights specialists.

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For this group, top priority skills involve the ability to apply new technology, data analytics and market research, said Chan.

"Tech-heavy roles" require different priority skills, such as in technology development, data engineering and Internet of Things (IoT), he said, adding that there is a huge global demand for these jobs and skills, such as software engineers and data scientists.

In the area of green economy, Chan said more than 450 roles across 17 sectors require green skills in their job tasks. Priority skills here include green process design, carbon footprint management and sustainability management, and these are applicable across multiple sectors including manufacturing.

Chan said even as existing jobs get greener, there will also be new jobs created to develop and harness sustainability solutions, such as new carbon technology, solar energy and green finance.

As for the care economy, Chan said the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted its importance to Singapore's resilience, and demand for local workers in this area will continue to grow rapidly especially with an ageing population and the need for childcare.

"Telehealth and edutech are also transforming our healthcare and lifelong learning models. Together, these will drive the emergence of new jobs and skills in the care economy," said Chan.

This calls for priority skills in conduct and ethics, stakeholder management and inclusive practices, which are required across two-thirds of care-related jobs, he said.

Chan said the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated developments such as digitalisation and automation, which are no longer a "good to have" but a "need to have" to enable business continuity and transformation.

The pandemic has triggered a realisation that economic and business growth can no longer come at the expense of environmental degradation, he said.

As Singapore looks beyond the pandemic, one certainty is that the pace of change will only increase, he added.

He said: "The nature of jobs will also evolve more quickly, and it is therefore not a matter of if, but when, the skills that we possess today will no longer be relevant."