More than 4,300 jobs opening up in Singapore's aviation sector over 2024

SINGAPORE: More than 4,300 jobs are opening up in Singapore's aviation sector in the coming year, as passenger traffic at Changi Airport is set to make a full recovery by the first half of 2024, said Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat. 

Mr Chee was speaking at the second edition of the OneAviation Careers fair at the Suntec City Convention Centre on Friday (Aug 4). 

About 40 exhibitors, including Airbus, the Changi Airport Group and Rolls-Royce Singapore, are participating in the two-day fair, with walk-in interviews being conducted for more than 1,700 positions in areas like operations, engineering and service.

"This time last year, the sector was striving to rebuild its ranks, after losing about a third of its pre-COVID workforce," Mr Chee said.

"Today, the air transport sector has restored its workforce to close to 95 per cent of pre-COVID numbers." 

While passenger traffic at Changi Airport at the time of last year's OneAviation Careers fair was near 50 per cent of pre-COVID volumes, that figure has since gone up to about 90 per cent, Mr Chee said.

"This recovery would not have been possible if not for the collective efforts of the OneAviation community." 

Mr Chee added he is confident that passenger traffic at Changi will make a "full recovery" by the first half of 2024, or maybe even earlier. 

TACKLING CHALLENGES

The International Air Transport Association expects 2.5 billion additional passenger journeys by 2040 in the Asia Pacific region alone.

With a compound annual growth rate of 4.5 per cent annually, the Asia Pacific region is also the fastest-growing region.

Singapore's aviation sector has the capacity for growth, but it must also build up its capabilities to meet future challenges, Mr Chee said. This includes leveraging on Singapore's trusted reputation and strong tripartite partnerships.

He highlighted three key problems the sector will face - an ageing workforce, reducing carbon emissions and competition from neighbouring and regional air hubs. 

Firstly, due to Singapore's ageing population, the sector will not be able to continue growing its workforce as it had in the past, and it will have to contend with an increasingly tight local labour market, together with other sectors in the Singapore economy.

The sector will also have to adapt its workplaces and work practices to a rapidly ageing workforce. 

By 2030, almost one in four Singaporeans will be over the age of 65, compared to just one in 10 in 2010. 

"This will be especially challenging for certain roles in the aviation sector, which involve manual work that is physically demanding," said Mr Chee. 

He also pointed out that the sector cannot grow without taking "practical" steps to reduce its carbon emissions, with air travel currently accounting for 2 per cent of global emissions. 

"However, as the impact of climate change becomes more immediate and severe, all sectors would have to reduce their emissions. The aviation sector will similarly face increasing pressure to decarbonise. 

"Hence, we need to work together with like-minded partners to find pragmatic and meaningful solutions to enable the aviation sector to reduce its emissions over time", said Mr Chee. 

Mr Chee also said that Singapore cannot take its current hub status as "a given", as competition from neighbouring and regional air hubs will continue to intensify. 

He noted that technology is "progressing at a blistering pace", including advances in artificial intelligence (AI). 

"While this will open up new opportunities and possibilities, it will also make the competition a lot keener as countries and businesses harness the potential of AI to raise their competitiveness.

"Our ability to adapt and transform with technology will determine if we remain a premier air hub or lose our position to competitors." 

LAUNCH OF AIR TRANSPORT ITM 2025

Mr Chee also announced the launch of the Air Transport Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025, which outlines the key priorities and strategies to transform Changi into a future-ready global aviation hub. 

The four key strategies are:

• Building a safe and sustainable air hub by optimising flight operations, which in turn will reduce fuel burn and emissions, and transitioning to cleaner energy sources.
• Transforming airport operations through the accelerated adoption of automation and technology, with trials for autonomous vehicles for baggage transport and cargo underway.
• Pursuing innovations at the forefront of aviation, such as better management of air traffic and unmanned systems. 
• Future-ready and resilient workforce. 

Mr Chee said the aviator sector's workers are its "most important asset" and the aim is to transform that workforce into one that is "future-ready and resilient".

The sector will continue to invest in upskilling and reskilling its workers in new areas of competency, he added. 

"This will ensure that their skills remain up-to-date amidst a fast-changing operating environment." 

The sector will also aim to leverage new technology to support its older workers, such as helping them to learn new skills, redesigning existing jobs and using robots to make the work physically easier to perform.

The use of AI and other technology tools to supplement workers and increase their productivity and output will be another area for the sector to explore.

"Through these efforts, we want to ensure that the sector continues to grow and provide quality jobs for Singaporeans, including young entrants, mid-career workers and senior workers," Mr Chee said. 

GETTING MORE SINGAPOREANS TO JOIN THE SECTOR

To attract more Singaporeans to join the aviation sector, Mr Chee said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will be signing three Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the National Youth Council, the Singapore Scout Association and the Singapore University of Technology and Design. 

The MOUs will expand the range of platforms to reach out to youths, and raise awareness and interest to join the sector. 

CAAS and its industry partners will also work with institutes of higher learning to refresh the curriculum in schools, so that youths are kept abreast of the latest developments, disruptions and prospects in aviation. 

"As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, this ITM will position our aviation sector to continue to provide good jobs for Singaporeans, contribute to the growth of our Singapore economy, and take our Changi air hub to greater heights," said Mr Chee.