24 skills in digital, care industries forecast to grow in demand and remain transferable over next two years

SINGAPORE: For the first time, the government has provided a forecast of which skills are expected to grow in demand and remain transferable over the next two years. 

The 24 skills identified in the third edition of the annual report from SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) come from the digital and care industries, as well as Industry 4.0. 

They were identified based on a statistical projection of past trends, according to data from the past 11 years, said SSG in a press release on Friday (Nov 17). 

Skills in the green industry were not included since developments in the space are “more nascent". 

However, the number of green courses offered by institutes of higher learning, supported by SSG, has nearly doubled, from 250 last year to 470 this year.

The green, digital and care industries remain growth areas, said Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang on Friday. 

With Singapore’s ageing population, greater technological disruption and efforts to green the economy, these transitions present both opportunities and challenges, she added. 

In a rapidly changing skills landscape, SSG’s skill analysis can help individuals and enterprises to identify their skill gaps, and make more informed investments in skills, said Ms Gan. 

Green skills growth has been consistent in the last two years, with high demand in emerging areas like agrifood, sustainable finance and carbon management, said SSG in the press release. 

“Mandatory climate-related disclosure requirements will also push the demand for skill related to sustainable finance and carbon management,” it said. 

The scarcity of digital talent and high adoption costs are a challenge for SMEs, according to SSG. 

With more businesses leveraging data and artificial intelligence, it is important that those in tech-heavy roles keep up with the latest trends and continue upskilling so they remain relevant. 

According to the data, some skills have remained highly relevant over the last decade – business management, data management and production management account for the majority of the skills in the Singapore economy. 

The top 10 skills from each of these areas have also remained largely consistent, the press release read. The top five in-demand core skills also did not change in the past decade, with communication consistently ranked at the top. 

“Regardless of technology change, businesses need to be able to communicate effectively with clients and customers,” said SSG. 

Alongside the report, the data used in the analyses will be made available to the public online, with tools to enable individuals to personalise and use the information. 

This will help individuals look for insights that are more relevant to their own context, said SSG. 

The full report can be found online, alongside the datasets and data dashboards.