By Avelyn Ng
Lots have been said about the future economy, but one thing is for sure – we can’t run away from technology. We have to keep up. The Government knows that and that is why it has come up with the idea of setting up the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).
Announced on 20 March this year, the SNDGG is responsible for driving digital transformation to build capabilities within the public sector, grow the economic value of companies and lastly, better the lives of Singaporeans.
This follows the release of the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) report on 7 February 2017, which highlighted that the world, not just Singapore, is in “an era of rapid technological change”.
“The growth of Internet of Things [IoT] is likely to be relentless in the coming years. This is caused by the massive increases in computational power with a corresponding cost reduction, availability of low-cost sensors, widespread network connectivity, cloud-hosted backend services and associated analytics,” said Jay Nagarajan, the Education Chair of Internet Society, a U Associate.
IoT is loosely defined as the connectivity of physical objects that enable the collection and exchange of data electronically. This, according to Jay, has moved from being in niche and expensive industrial deployments to all around us over the past decade.
The Housing and Development Board’s ‘Smart Home’, which sends text alerts to elderly caregivers when irregular patterns are detected by motion sensors and allows residents to switch on their electrical appliances remotely, is a prime example.
High Potential
“Businesses have two focus areas – first, to improve operating efficiency and customer satisfaction; second, to uncover new opportunities and revenue streams.
“Candidates that have skills in big data, machine learning and related middleware would be in demand. There is also likely to be substantial growth in network design, optimisation and security management jobs, given the massive increase in the number of devices,” said Jay.
While opportunities are rampant, MP of Tampines GRC and Director of NTUC’s Youth Development Unit Desmond Choo stressed that the fast evolving nature of ICT requires the workforce to stay nimble and learn continually.
“There are many opportunities in both in the ICT sector and ICT functions in other industries. As the world economies become more rooted in ICT, these career opportunities will only grow. However, workers need to know their skills adjacencies and develop their skillsets accordingly.
“ICT is not just the domain of the younger generation. There are schemes and courses to help our workers make mid-career switches to ICT sector. As with picking up any new skills, there will be short-term sacrifices. But, a successful transition can give worker many career possibilities and a true second wind,” he said.
