Singaporeans shy away from skilled trades jobs, citing poor pay and prospects: poll

SINGAPOREANS are more sceptical than the rest of the world about the career prospects of skilled tradesmen – even though they believe there is a shortage of such workers, according to a survey released on Monday (Jun 13).

Commissioned by manufacturing company 3M and carried out by Ipsos, the survey found that 76 per cent of Singapore respondents would not pursue a skilled trade – higher than the global average of 68 per cent – despite their respect for such occupations.

Yet some 92 per cent also said the workforce needs more skilled trade workers, similar to the global figure. Skilled trades were defined as occupations that call for “a particular skill set or ability”, such as electricians, carpenters, plumbers, welders, cooks and chefs.

Among those who do not already have a career in a skilled trade, 26 per cent said they would not pursue one because they would not make enough money – higher than the 18 per cent globally.

Similarly, 26 per cent of the Singapore respondents who work in other professions said that skilled trades lacked adequate opportunities for career growth, against 24 per cent worldwide.

And some 18 per cent believed that “there is a negative or unfavourable stigma associated with skilled trade jobs”, compared with 13 per cent globally.

However, 73 per cent of all Singapore respondents thought they could earn as much money in a skilled trade as in careers requiring university degrees – against 71 per cent globally.

The State of Science Index 2022 survey polled roughly 17,200 adults globally in late 2021.

It also found that 94 per cent of Singapore respondents said employers should foot the bill for “upskilling”, higher than the 89 per cent globally who believed bosses ought to support workers’ further education and skills training.

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And 76 per cent in Singapore said they were worried about keeping up in a job market that was increasingly dependent on digital skills – higher than the global average of 64 per cent.

In April, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh had asked in Parliament whether the government was looking to encourage younger Singaporeans to take up trade jobs such as electricians and plumbers, and whether a larger Singaporean core could be built up in such jobs.

Noting that the share of local workers in non-professional, managerial, executive and technician jobs fell from 47.3 per cent in 2011 to 37.9 per cent in 2021, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng replied “it would not be realistic to aim to grow the Singapore core in every single occupation”.