Jobs Situation Report 14th Edition - Infocomm Technology

1. This week’s Jobs Situation Report highlights the number of jobs available in the Infocomm Technology (ICT) sector and outlines the three-pronged approach to build up our pipeline of local talents to capture the growth opportunities in this area.
   
   Overview of ICT Sector
   
   
2. To secure a stronger foothold in a global economy that is shifting towards digitalisation and interconnectivity, Singapore needs to develop our niche as a smart nation with capabilities in four frontier technologies – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Immersive Media and the Internet of Things (IoT). We will continue to invest in our infrastructure, accelerate digital transformation of our businesses and upskill and develop a digitally-enabled workforce.
   
   
3. There is strong demand for manpower in functions such as digital marketing, software engineering and cybersecurity, as well as leaders to drive digital transformation across a range of businesses. To meet this growing demand, the workforce needs to be reskilled and transformed to take on the next phase of development. Since 2015, more locals have taken up jobs in the ICT sector – local employment has expanded by 17,000¹, forming 71% of the sector’s total employment of 190,200².This does not yet include the growth for ICT personnel in other sectors of the economy.
   
   
4. While COVID-19 has disrupted the economy and labour market, it has also accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, leading to creation of new job roles and increase in manpower demand in ICT.
   
   1. Some companies saw the window of opportunity to hire and train to support the shift towards growth areas. For example, NCS Pte Ltd, recruited over 1,000 staff this year, of which 70% were mid-career individuals.
   2. Others, such as IBM, will provide more training opportunities for jobseekers. In November 2020, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and IBM announced the latest initiative under the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) Company-Led Training (CLT) programme to train 300 Singaporeans over the next four years for roles such as Digital Consultant, Cloud Architect, Data Scientist and UX Designer. IBM’s “Future-Ready Intelligent Digital Workforce Programme”, when implemented, aims to meet the demand for technology consulting and deep technical skills needed to support the acceleration of digital transformation across all industries.
   
   Placements and Available Openings in ICT
   
   
5. Between April to early November, more than 7,000 jobseekers have been placed into jobs, company-hosted traineeships and attachments, as well as training places in the ICT sector (refer to Chart 1 below). This is by far, the sector with the highest placements under the SGUnited Jobs & Skills Package.
   
   
   
   
6. As at early-November, there remains more than 12,000 job openings in ICT.About 95% are in PMET roles such as Software, Web and Applications Developers as well as Network Engineers. Salary ranges for major roles in ICT are in Chart 2 below.
   
   
   
   
7. Some 30% of these job openings are in tech-lite roles, while the rest would require a deeper level of technology skills. Tech-lite roles may be suitable for applicants without ICT background or experience, and include roles such as Customer Success Manager, Digital Marketing Specialist and Pre-Sales Consultant. These may appeal more to mid-career individuals who are looking to switch careers into ICT.
   
   Three-pronged Approach to Capture Growth in ICT
   
   
8. To enable locals to access all the opportunities in the ICT sector, the Government and industry have put in place a three-pronged approach:
   
   
   1. Rolling out place-and-train programmes for new hires and reskilling of existing staff.Over the next three years, at least 5,500 job placement opportunities with companies will be developed;
   2. Providing access to company-hosted traineeships and attachments under the SG United Jobs and Skills Package. Currently, there are about 4,900 such opportunities available;
   3. Nurturing a pipeline of talent in the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).The intake for IHL courses in academic year 2020 is around 7,600.
   
   A. Place-and-train programmes for new hires and reskilling of existing staff:
   
   
9. TeSA was announced in 2016 as a tripartite initiative to build and develop a skilled ICT workforce for the Singapore economy. Co-led by IMDA, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), the initiative helps Singaporeans gain employment in ICT jobs and enhances employability outcomes through place-and-train programmes for new hires and reskilling of existing staff, as well as skilling programmes and career advisory services.
   
   
10. To date, TeSA has placed 6,600 locals into ICT jobs through its placement programmes. These programmes include the Company-Led Training (CLT), TeSA Mid-Career Advance (TMCA), WSG’s Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) and Tech Immersion and Placement Programme (TIPP).
    
    
11. TeSA will continue to work with companies to create job placements for new hires, reskill existing staff, and provide traineeships and skilling opportunities. Over the next three years, we are targeting to develop 5,500 job placement opportunities with companies. Some of these opportunities have been announced recently such as with Google, SEA Group and IBM in growth areas like Digital Marketing, Cloud technology and Product Management, Software Development, AI and Cybersecurity.
    
    B. Company-hosted traineeships and attachments under SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package:
12. To help jobseekers with different levels of familiarity with ICT gain a foothold in the sector and eventually fill up the job roles, a broad range of company-hosted traineeships and attachments have been put in place to build up their skill sets to be industry-ready. Jobseekers would also be able to establish new professional networks, which will increase their chances of securing a full-time role in the sector. As at early-November, there are close to 4,900 company-hosted traineeships and attachments opportunities in areas such as UI/UX Development, Digital Marketing, Network Engineering, Cybersecurity and Cloud Engineering.
    
    
13. One example is 31-year-old Fadhillah Johari, who joined Inspire-Tech Pte Ltd on an attachment under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme as a Customer Success Officer after losing her job in March 2020. Just a month into her attachment, she is busy tapping her new digital marketing skills to help brick-and-mortar clients embark on digitalisation using Inspire-Tech’s tech solutions [refer to Annex B for details].
    
    C. Nurturing a pipeline of talent in IHLs
14. To maintain a steadily growing pipeline of quality talent in our workforce, more efforts have been made across the IHLs to train aspiring talents to prepare for ICT roles. Intake into ICT courses/clusters in our local IHLs have grown by 13% over the last three years, with an intake of around 7,600 for academic year 2020. Through the course of their studies, students can gain advance skill sets that would place them in good stead to take up job roles in the various areas of specialisation in ICT.
    
    
15. More than 100 ICT courses and curriculum are also reviewed to date by TeSA to promote new curriculum for in-demand tech skills such as in software development, AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, IoT and cloud computing. TeSA also partners leading companies in the tech industry to develop new Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses in IHLs to train ahead of demand. For example, Facebook and NTU collaborated on new CET courses to develop infrastructure engineers for the future network industry.
    
    Support for SMEs
    
    
16. There are also programmes to help small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) address their talent needs. SMEs have participated in the various PCPs, accounting for close to 90% of the placements between January 2020 and October 2020. SMEs are now more aware of the availability of the PCPs and their usefulness in plugging their manpower needs. With 750 more places available over the next three years, SMEs can benefit from having more support as they transform to capture new business opportunities.
    
    
17. The PCPs have also enabled SMEs to reskill their existing staff to keep abreast of the digitalisation of their business operations. One example is Flutes (Second Chapter Pte Ltd), a local restaurant which shifted online to diversify revenue streams amid COVID-19, and currently reskilling their Restaurant Manager cum Sommelier, Cherry Chai to lead the implementation of online sales and marketing efforts for Flutes [more details in Annex B].
    
    
18. Table 1 below highlights examples of transferrable skills that can help smoothen the assimilation into ICT job roles as well as the skills that can be acquired to enhance one’s career prospects. Beyond these, jobseekers without prior ICT background can look forward to picking up tech-lite skills such as Product Management, Technical Sales Support, Integrated Marketing and Consumer Intelligence Analysis.
    
    
    
    Improving Matches between Jobseekers and Tech Jobs
    
    
19. Besides these programmes, WSG and IMDA have also worked with the Trade Associations and Chambers to further improve matches between jobseekers and hiring ICT companies.
    
    
    1. Since July 2020, WSG collaborated with SGTech and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) under the SGUnited Jobs Initiative to match hiring ICT companies with available jobseekers. ICT companies which successfully hired through this programme include Web Imp Pte Ltd and Workato Pte Ltd.
    2. In August 2020, WSG and IMDA worked with SGTech to pilot the integrated tech career services for the ICT sector. This pilot sought to strengthen job placement outcomes between employers and jobseekers by offering a suite of career advisory services.
    3. In addition, as part of WSG’s volunteer Career Advisors initiative, the first batch of volunteers from the ICT sector with deep industry knowledge will be appointed by December 2020 to provide fellow workers (especially those in their 40s and 50s) with peer-level support and career guidance as they navigate professional pathways and career transitions.
    
    Engagement and Outreach Efforts
    
    
20. To ensure more Singaporeans can better understand and access the openings available under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, the Government and its partners have ramped up engagement and outreach efforts over the past months. Across September and October 2020, close to 45,000 individuals have been reached through the various platforms organised by WSG and NTUC’s e2i, including the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Info Kiosks, career preparatory workshops, seminars, industry talks, virtual career fairs and walk-in interviews.
    
    
21. While it is important to curate and make these job opportunities more easily accessible for jobseekers through the career events, it is as crucial to ensure the jobseekers are ready to embark on these new career paths. Workshops covering topics such as job search techniques and career planning, as well as industry talks helped to prepare jobseekers for these opportunities.
    
    For More Information
    
    
22. To find out more about:

1. Immediate job opportunities in the ICT sector under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, please visit https://go.gov.sg/mcfict.
2. For information on TeSA programmes and opportunities, please visit go.gov.sg/tesa.
3. WSG’s programmes and career advisory and matching services, please visit www.mycareersfuture.gov.sg/careercoaching (QR code below) or call WSG’s hotline at 6883 5885.
4. SSG’s Skills and Training Advisory services, jobseekers can visit https://www.myskillsfuture.sg/content/portal/en/career-resources/career-resources/education-career-personal-development/skills-training-advice.html
5. Upcoming engagement and outreach events organised by NTUC’s e2i and WSG, jobseekers can visit https://www.ssg-wsg.gov.sg/events.html or https://e2i.com.sg/events/.