SINGAPORE: The Skills Demand for the Future Economy report was published by SkillsFuture Singapore earlier this month, showing the changes in skills required by Singapore’s economy over the passage of time. The study was based on job posting data over eleven years, from 2012 to 2022. The report shows that the skills most needed in Singapore’s economy are the following three fields: Business Management, Data Management, and Production Management clusters.
As for other fields, interestingly, as e-commerce and globalised supply chains have become more popular, Operations Management went from 8 per cent in 2012 to 12.2 per cent in 2022. In the same time period, Care Services went from 6.5 per cent to 7.6 per cent, which is likely to increase due to Singapore’s ageing society. Apps and Tools increased in importance from 4 per cent in 2012 to 6.4 per cent in 2022, largely due to the rapid rise of digitalization in Singapore.
Skills Important in Business Management
Here are the skills that are on the top 10 list for 2012, 2017 and 2022:
- Documentation: Write clear and concise reports
- Audit and Compliance: Develop compliance processes and audit strategies
- Quality Assurance: Develop and implement quality standards
- Business Opportunities Development: Identify new business opportunities
- Legal and Compliance Management: Manage compliance with regulations
- Continuous Improvement Management: Improve processes and procedures
- Sales and Business Development: Generate new business and grow existing accounts
The following skills were in the top ten in 2022 alone:
- Stakeholder Management: Manage stakeholder expectations
- Governance: Evaluate governance practices
- Process Improvement: Evaluate change and improvement processes
Skills Important in Data Management
Here are the skills that are on the top 10 list for 2012, 2017 and 2022:
- Programming and Coding: Write code to create software programs
- Big Data Analytics: Analyse large datasets to find patterns and trends
- Applications Development: Develop applications from design specifications
- Engineering Problem Solving: Use root cause analysis to solve problems
- Automation Research and Implementation: Automate processes using equipment and information technology
- Applications Support and Enhancement: Provide technical support and enhancements to applications
- Human Resource Digitalisation: Innovate HR processes through digitalization
The following skills were in the top ten in 2022 alone:
- Customer Data Analysis: Analyse customer data to understand customer behaviours
- Data Protection Management: Develop and implement data protection programs
- Artificial Intelligence Application: Integrate artificial intelligence into engineering processes
Skills Important in Production Management
Here are the skills that are on the top 10 list for 2012, 2017 and 2022
- Quality Assurance: Develop and implement quality standards
- Continuous Improvement Management: Improve processes and procedures
- Electrical Fundamentals Application: Apply electrical principles to aircraft systems
- Mechanical Engineering Management: Manage mechanical engineering projects
- Civil and Structural Engineering Management: Manage civil and structural engineering projects
- Preventive Maintenance Management: Develop and implement preventive maintenance plans
The following skills were in the top ten in 2022 alone:
- Standard Operating Procedures Development: Implement and enforce standard operating procedures
- Power Quality Management: Investigate electricity supply issues
- Mathematical Concepts Application: Apply math to solve engineering problems
- Operation Management: Manage manufacturing operations
More information about the Skills Demand for the Future Economy may be found here.
Read also: Sylvia Lim uses SkillsFuture credit for Intellectual Property Law course at SUSS /TISG