What is in Store for You?

The 2023/24 edition of the Skills Demand for the Future Economy (SDFE) report starts with an analysis of how the skills required by the Singapore economy have changed over time (Chapter I). We also demonstrate how the same analysis can be scoped down, to examine such changes for specific types of jobs. The aim is to guide the reader to make informed choices about what to upskill in to either stay relevant at the current workplace or to pivot to job opportunities with growth potential.

In gist, Critical Core Skills have consistently remained important across all jobs and industries, while skills specific to the application of digital tools have seen the most dramatic changes. This is not surprising, as enterprises and workplaces transform their businesses and operating models to make use of the latest digital applications.

In Chapter II, the report updates on the priority skills for the Green, Digital and Care economies, as had been done in previous editions. The chapter spotlights those priority skills in the three economies that have been rising in both demand and cross-sectoral transferability. Some of these skills are forecasted to continue growing in demand over the next two years.

This year’s edition also introduces content that focuses on career mobility and planning. Chapter III features examples of multi-step pathways to attain desired job roles in the Care, Digital or Green economy. It also features Career Conversion Programmes and SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes as options for those planning a career transition. There is also a section featuring research by the Institute for Adult Learning¹ on the career mobility of Singapore workers, which shows that individuals who are intentional in the forward planning of their careers (a ‘Strong Career Decision-Making State’) are more likely to achieve better career progression and wage outcomes.

Following from last year, the report provides updated resources and support for citizens, including advice from career planning experts such as career coaches from Workforce Singapore and Skills Ambassadors from SkillsFuture Singapore (Chapter IV). Employers and workplaces play a critical role in supporting and directing employees to develop the right skills to help companies stay competitive and resilient. To this end, the report advises employers on the resources and support that they can tap on.

Supplementing the SDFE 2023/24 report, SkillsFuture Singapore has made available, for the first time, a series of data sets and dashboards for users to generate even more useful insights. We encourage partners to use the data and dashboards and give us feedback.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the partners who have contributed to this publication. I look forward to hearing from you.

^{1 _{Dr Ruby Toh, SUSS-IAL. Archetype of Labour Mobility and Career Outcome (2022)}}