Automation and labour mobility: Unlocking the pathway to Singapore Economy 2030

THE Singapore job landscape has undergone a digital renaissance in recent years. While clerical and administrative positions remain relevant here, LinkedIn’s latest Jobs on the Rise list reveals that roles requiring specialised technical and digital skills constitute most of the 15 fastest-growing occupations in the Singapore job market today. These include machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) engineers, which rank 11th and 12th on the list respectively. While Singapore’s focus on accelerating digitalisation across industries is driving demand for technology jobs, there is a dearth of roles for workers with inadequate technical skills – and these workers are bearing the brunt in an uncertain economy.

At the 2023 World Economic Forum, global leaders highlighted how Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, such as AI, robotics, Internet of Things, and more, can unlock new possibilities and why it is critical to close the digital skills divide now more than ever. To accelerate the Singapore Economy 2030 vision and drive sustainable economic growth, we need to ensure that the entire job market is well-positioned to seize opportunities in the digital economy. But how can we ascertain that Singapore’s workforce is resilient enough to withstand the challenges of rapid digital disruption? Education is key, and the good news is that technological advancements have paved the way for the democratisation of digital skills education.

Fewer barriers to digital upskilling 

Decades ago, acquiring knowledge and competency was done primarily through formal education. Today, the influx of online learning platforms has eradicated educational barriers and improved access to upskilling opportunities that make it easier for workers to switch to more high-paying roles and advance their careers.

While mastering in-demand digital skills will require time and effort on the part of workers, not having a formal education is no longer a deterrent. A growing number of professionals in Singapore are taking advantage of government subsidies to participate in flexible online courses and boot camps conducted on weekday evenings and weekends to hone technical skills such as digital marketing, web development, and cybersecurity. Do-it-yourself education has been on the rise in recent years, given the prevalence of platforms such as Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera that support self-paced learning. YouTube vloggers and influencers have upped the ante further – breaking down complex concepts in a more palatable form and offering quality edutainment to anyone with Internet access.

Accelerating access with low-code

Singapore’s digital transformation journey may necessitate strengthening digital skills, but it doesn’t mean that technological advancements are complicating work. If anything, technology providers are making solutions even more accessible and easy to use for the average worker.

A preconceived notion is the need for deep programming knowledge in initiating automation projects, but this is far from the truth: using low-code, citizen programmers today can build applications in a snap and deploy these with a click. Non-technical users can even manage automated workflows easily with user-experience-friendly interfaces. With the democratisation of technology, workers can better work alongside AI to bolster productivity and engagement. Simplified, no-code platforms are giving non-technical employees the enhanced capability to train ML models while supporting the deployment of these models into automated workstreams.

A holistic approach to workforce resilience 

Building workforce resilience is critical to ride the tide of economic uncertainty. Singapore Economy 2030 will remain a pipe dream if we do not work on strengthening the digital skills of the entire Singapore labour force. Upskilling initiatives and programmes that help build new transferable digital capabilities can chart a sustainable future for the Singapore workforce by encouraging crossovers and opening new pathways for growth. It is heartening to see that there are ongoing incentives and programmes spurring a healthy attitude toward continuous learning and development in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). For instance, TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) – one of the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) initiatives – allows Singapore workers to strengthen relevant in-demand ICT skills through place and train (PnT) programmes that improve future employability.

Similarly, private organisations can also play a key role in sharing industry expertise and forming alliances with academic institutions and workforce development agencies to drive awareness, accelerate technological adoption, and prepare professionals through role-based education. For instance, UiPath partners with NTUC LearningHub to provide training courses on robotic process automation (RPA). By leveraging RPA, professionals can automate repetitive tasks at work and free up time to focus on other value-added tasks.

As we embark on the next phase of Singapore’s digital transformation journey, automation will be critical in charting an inclusive and sustainable future for the entire workforce: by alleviating repetitive work, automation improves workers’ productivity and allows them to devote more time towards learning new skills and developing critical thinking. With new capabilities, workers are primed to take on higher-value roles.

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With 62 per cent of organisations in Asia Pacific expected to scale up their RPA initiatives or achieve enterprise-wide RPA deployment by 2025, adopting a human-centric approach that combines AI and digital upskilling – or reskilling – can go a long way in deriving the greatest value from automation.

Amid economic uncertainty, we need to tackle the labour conundrum issue and drive inclusive human capital development through a holistic lens. We need to reinvent how business is done by playing to the inherent strengths of human and digital workforces. Helping the workforce stay up-to-date with rapid technological and job changes requires two ingredients: continuous innovation and strengthened collaboration between private-government sectors in upskilling and training workers.

The writer is senior vice president and managing director of Asia Pacific and Japan at UiPath