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7 In-Demand Skills That Will Boost Your Employability In Singapore

Denise Bay
Updated

This article was originally on GET.com at: 7 In-Demand Skills That Will Boost Your Employability In Singapore

It's always a good idea to boost your employability, not just because it will help you not to lose your job, but also because it could help you earn more. I trust that you’re aware of the economic gloom that’s been cloaking our economy and sketching all the doom and gloom Singapore and her citizens have to deal with. For those who haven’t heard, we’ve recently reported 13 jobs in Singapore whose earnings have unfortunately taken a hit. Although our economy isn’t in its best shape right now, there remains a certain number of jobs and skills that are mega hot in demand.

Being employable and staying relevant amidst changing times isn’t necessarily the simplest thing to do. Foremost, one can never be too complacent to even stop thinking about learning or upgrading no matter whether you’re 5 or 50 years old. Even though a gloomy economic outlook isn’t the kindest thing that can ever happen to us, there are things that we can do to lessen the impact felt especially when the economy slows down. This is good news for those who’re keen to stay in the game and not settle for less.

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For those who haven’t been reading the news recently, Nanyang Technological University has established a new college, the College of Professional and Continuing Education, to offer courses to working adults (including professionals, managers and executives) here in Singapore under a collaboration with NTUC. According to the news report, the courses offered will be curated in line with key growth sectors including ‘data analytics, digital electronics, nanomaterials, molecular genetics and enterprise and innovation’.

As mentioned, there are in-demand skills that will boost your employability. Here, we at GET.com rounded up the 7 hottest skills that you wished you were adept in right now if you aren’t already proficient in them.

7 In-Demand Skills That Will Boost Your Employability In Singapore

1. IT Skills

From programming and coding to cyber security and user experience design, IT skills are the most sought after in 2016 and beyond. This is hardly surprising given our booming IT sector that’s kept within watchful eyes of the government and its efforts in transforming Singapore into a Smart Nation.

Besides, it is intuitive that IT skills are coveted as Singapore becomes more technologically advanced and digitised. In an earlier news report back in March when the Singapore Budget 2016 was released, the government announced its plans to introduce new programmes ‘in sectors such design and ICT’ in a bid to aid people in upgrading their skills and adapting to evolving job demands.

Also, did I mention that this year’s highest paying sector is none other than IT? Well, I hope you’re more motivated to upgrade and/or expand your skill sets now. For those who can’t wait to trudge ahead of others, you might want to consider taking some free online IT courses first. Some are great for beginners, while others are less so.

2. Compliance

As banking solutions become more and more complex coupled with an exponential increase in the number of financial products available in the financial market, it only makes sense that more compliance and regulatory roles are needed.

Just so you know, compliance remains as one of the top hottest banking jobs in Singapore. It was recently reported in the news that vice-presidents of risk functions and compliance in the banking and finance industry can expect to earn between $10,000 and $17,000 monthly.

3. Data Analytics

I can’t vouch for the level of fun one can get out of crunching numbers and staring at data but data analytics is one of the top in-demand skills in Singapore right now. This versatile skill set is surely one that is good to have since it’s used across a multitude of industries to help firms make better, more prudent business decisions.

4. Accounting

There’s a reason why so many of our peers wanted to read accountancy at university. Great for those in the accounting industry, really. It was mentioned in the news that Singapore’s accounting industry grew a whopping $1.8 billion in 2015 due to the push to establish this sector as a leading global hub for the APAC region. This isn’t so surprising since Singapore’s always been really competitive when it comes to developing all sorts of hubs.

5. Marketing

This is especially so with respect to digital marketing. With changing times and consumers who are perpetually glued to their mobile devices 24/7, we can only imagine how much mobile marketing has grown in recent years.

After all, digital marketers are coveted in helping brands reach their target consumers more effectively. Need more evidence? Take a look at Facebook, Instagram or even your Google search engine.

Seemingly scary-sounding things like SEO, SEM, analytics, CRM and programmatic are going to be huge. Delve in if these are the kind of things that make you feel alive. I won’t fight with you though, because I know marketing’s just not my thing.

6. Research & Development

R&D will remain in hot demand given the strong stance by the government in supporting Singapore’s R&D efforts over the next 5 years with a $19 billion plan, known as the Research Innovation Enterprise 2020 Plan.

This sector is slated to advance and grow as there’s immense pressure to transform research into viable solutions that have the propensity to tackle national challenges, beef up innovation and technology adoption in firms, and pilot economic growth through value creation.

7. Healthcare & Life Sciences

There, there. There’s no need to gawk at this point; everyone knows that Singapore’s population is greying rapidly. I recommend that you first have a heart for caring for others if you’re contemplating making a career switch into the healthcare sector for opportunities such as nursing and physiotherapy.

What do you think? Share your comments with us below!

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