Committee of Supply 2023 debate, Day 3: Tan Kiat How on empowering businesses and workers to seize opportunities in the digital economy

Given the uncertain economic outlook and near-term cost pressures, companies - especially SMEs - may be tempted to press the “pause button” on digitalisation plans. They should instead hit “fast forward” to deepen their digital capabilities and sharpen their competitiveness, said Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Tan Kiat How in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 28). He said the Government will provide support by putting in place an enabling digital ecosystem. For example, at the national level, it is scaling up the adoption of digital utilities like PayNow and InvoiceNow. At the sectoral level, it will refresh Industry Digital Plans (IDPs) for retail and security this year and launch the IDP for the legal sector. He also announced that the Government will help SMEs develop cybersecurity “health plans”. Through the CTO-as-a-Service platform, SMEs can now engage cybersecurity consultants as “chief information security officers”. These officers will work with the SMEs to tailor cybersecurity health plans based on their risk profile and risk appetite, identify cybersecurity gaps and support the firms in attaining national cybersecurity certifications. Eligible SMEs will get up to 70 per cent funding support. Building on this foundation, the Ministry of Communications and Information will develop a Digital Enterprise Blueprint to bring these efforts together in a comprehensive roadmap to chart the next bound of Singapore’s digital economy. Mr Tan also spoke about how the Government is empowering Singaporeans through reskilling and upskilling to access good tech jobs. It is working with industry partners to identify jobs that may be disrupted, as well as emerging new roles. It is also pushing for a mindset shift within the industry towards hiring and career development based on skills rather than academic qualifications.