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Key workforce trends in Singapore for 2021

Key Workforce Trends Sg

by Charlotte Gurney

Recent research has revealed changing employment landscapes in Singapore and some key job trends for the year ahead. The report takes into account the impact of COVID-19 on the local economy and identifies those areas that have seen the greatest growth - and which are likely to continue to be in demand throughout 2021. Comparing over 15,000 job titles the Jobs on the Rise report from LinkedIn focuses on the workforce demand in job trends in Singapore for 2021 - this is what you need to know.

The Singapore economy is changing
It’s probably no surprise to learn that job trends have shifted over the past year. The LinkedIn research analyzed job roles that saw the highest growth rates between April and October 2020 and found some interesting results.

Digital transformation affecting every sector. Information Technology roles saw a big rise in demand as the pandemic forced many businesses to rely more heavily on tech to support remote working during lockdowns. However, this also filtered through into many other job roles, including those in Accounting & Finance and Sales & Marketing, where technology began to change experiences through the integration of automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Those with digital skills to help accommodate and optimize these changes are in demand - and likely to remain so. With Singapore locals becoming more reliant on delivery and online services, there is also a significant spike in demand for talent to fill procurement and supply chain positions to help support businesses seeking to pivot to offering more online.

Care roles as a burgeoning employment trend. The rise in demand for those with care and medical expertise is not unexpected. However, this was not only with respect to frontline doctors and nurses but also technical specialists and professionals with the skills to support the country through the public health crisis. Many more sections of the community became vulnerable as a result of the pandemic and so there was also a rise in the need for psychologists, social workers and counselors.

Opportunities created by upskilling. Many professionals responded to the conditions of the pandemic by looking for opportunities to upskill and this triggered demand for those with education and coaching abilities. Career experts and facilitators have been particularly popular, with life coaches, leadership coaches and career coordinators seeing a big surge in demand.

Transition from ‘traditional’ job roles. Although there was some trepidation over whether the circumstances of the pandemic might lead to traditional job functions becoming irrelevant this doesn’t look to be the case. Instead, the demand for those who work in finance, customer service, business development etc has remained high, albeit shifting to integrate the challenges of the pandemic. For example, the announcement of the approval of four new digital banks by Monetary of Singapore creates a whole new area of demand for those with skills in banking and investor relations.

Workforce demand in job trends in Singapore is shifting in 2021. Volt is the premier commerce and industry recruitment firm in Singapore. We offer expertise in recruiting skilled and professional individuals across the following specialisms:

Accountancy & Finance

Engineering & Manufacturing

Human Resources & Business Support

Information Technology

Life Sciences

Procurement & Supply Chain, and

Sales & Marketing

Our comprehensive range of services include permanent, contract and temporary recruitment, payroll, statement of work and project hiring. In addition, we provide award winning recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and managed service programs (MSP) through our specialist brand 'Volt Consulting Group'.

Contact Volt Singapore here