Describing the current job climate in Singapore, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Tay said that Singapore is facing a combination of cyclical and structural changes.
“The situation is such that if we don’t push forward, we will fall behind … Employers and employees must be able to adapt, change, and move with the times.”
He was speaking as part of a panel on the third episode of the Mandarin language series called ‘It Matters: The Future of Us’ that was aired on 27 December 2017 and screened on www.zaobao.sg.
The discussion centred on ‘Jobs and Skills for the Future’. The three other panellists included Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Education Low Yen Ling, Head of Human Resources at Standard Chartered Bank Singapore Charlotte Thng, and Founder of SIX (a local fragrance brand) Jason Wee.
Jobs And Skills
Describing the relationship between jobs and skills, ASG Tay stressed the need for lifelong learning because it will allow us to gain additional new skills to seize the opportunities that present themselves.
He said that in the future, there will be two major job types: service and technology jobs. Jobs outside of these categories are likely to be the ones that may become obsolete.
International Exposure
ASG Tay also added international exposure is a strong area of focus in the development of local employees for leadership positions – a point shared by leaders of multinational corporations in Singapore.
He also hopes that more local Singaporeans can take on leadership roles in international settings.
“We hope to build a Singaporean Core in our workforce. It will be good for our employees to gain international exposure,” he said.
