New Skills and Workforce Development Agency to be established in Q3 to support workers across life stages

[SINGAPORE] A Bill passed in Parliament on Tuesday (May 5) sets out the legislative framework for the new Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA).

This will support workers across different life stages, help employers navigate workforce transformation, and strengthen the broader jobs and training ecosystem. 

Speaking during the second reading of the Bill, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the new agency will focus on “serving individuals and employers, and better partnering the broader ecosystem of providers of career and employment services and training”.

The Bill was first tabled on Apr 8, close to two months after Finance Minister and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced during his Budget statement that Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) would be merged into the new statutory board to oversee both jobs and skills.

SWDA, which will be established in the third quarter of this year, will be jointly overseen by the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Education. 

WSG’s current chief executive Dilys Boey will serve in a similar capacity at the new statutory board. 

Both WSG and SSG were themselves formed from the restructuring of the former Workforce Development Agency in 2016.

Dr Tan said WSG’s goal then was to focus on “strengthening employment facilitation services and programmes”, while SSG’s ambit was to work closely with institutes of higher learning to drive the SkillsFuture movement.

“The 2016 restructuring substantially delivered what it set out to do,” he said. “But over the past 10 years the world around us has shifted, and the next 10 years will certainly not resemble the last 10.”

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This is in part due to technology advancing at an “unprecedented pace”, as well as geopolitical shocks reshaping the global economy “in ways that were difficult to imagine a decade ago”.  

Dr Tan said therefore, there was a need to merge both WSG and SSG to “stay ahead of change” by combining the strengths that both agencies have built up over the past decade.

This will provide Singaporeans with a single touchpoint to access a full suite of career guidance, skills training and job matching support offered, he said.

Supporting workers

The name of the new agency, Dr Tan added, reflects its mission to “develop Singapore’s human potential”.

Detailing how SWDA will do so, an MOM factsheet said the agency will “empower workers throughout their careers at different life stages, beyond support during career setbacks or transitions”.

For fresh graduates, this will involve attachment and traineeship programmes, developed in partnership with companies, to provide practical work experience and industry exposure. 

For those still uncertain about their career direction, SWDA will offer career guidance to help them identify pathways aligned with their aspirations and values.

Mid-career workers in transition – including those facing stagnation, retrenchment, or returning after a caregiving break – can expect enhanced support in the form of career guidance, job matching and reskilling opportunities. 

This will be complemented by expanded partnerships with private career service providers and employer networks to widen access to opportunities.

For senior workers who wish to remain economically active, SWDA will work with progressive employers and human resource professionals to develop and scale solutions that support longer, multi-stage careers, while promoting age-inclusive jobs and workplaces.

This forms part of its role in the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment, which is developing a more integrated approach to supporting longer careers.

Support for employers and service providers

Beyond workers, Dr Tan said SWDA will also support employers through the challenges of deeper workforce transformation.

This will be done by leveraging skills intelligence and labour market data to provide deeper insights into evolving needs. 

Dr Tan said this will enable more targeted training and help businesses access and develop the talent they require, alongside support in job redesign, capability development and broader workforce transformation. 

SWDA will also strengthen the wider ecosystem of career and employment service providers – including recruiters, career coaches and job platforms – said Dr Tan, by raising standards, improving access and driving innovation.

For instance, he said pilots under the Alliance for Action on Advancing Career & Employment Services could give rise to new programmes and services.

“More importantly, through these pilots, we are discovering together the strengths of our ecosystem today and opportunities to take it to the next level tomorrow,” said Dr Tan.