Lack of talent sees jobs go a-begging in ICT sector

SINGAPORE — Jobs abound in the booming information-and-communications technology (ICT) sector, particularly in areas such as virtual and augmented reality and data analytics, but there appears to be a shortage of talent here to assume these jobs, a study has found.

The study by the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) Future Jobs, Skills and Training Unit is its second following a report on the financial sector in March, since it was set up earlier this year to forecast new skills and identify training needs.

The unit has also, for the first time, outlined what it terms “jobs adjacency” — transferable ICT skills that can be used in roles outside the sector — in its findings, which will be released in a blog post on Monday (May 22).

The ICT study found that the sought-after jobs in the sector were in seven areas: Cyber security; user interface and user experience; data analytics; network engineering; virtual and augmented reality; artificial intelligence; and digital transformation project management.

The unit also listed the 10 top technical skills in demand at four levels: Entry, professional or specialist, middle management and senior management.

At middle management, for instance, the technical skills in demand include Java, SQL (Structured Query Language) and software development.

The unit also identified four transferable ICT skills that workers may use in non-ICT jobs as well as those outside the sector: SQL, Java as well as the C and C++ programming languages. Those armed with SQL skills, for instance, could use them in jobs including as management and business intelligence analysts or as marketing managers.

Speaking to TODAY earlier this month, Mr Patrick Tay, NTUC’s assistant secretary-general and the FJST Unit director, said retrenched workers who have these skills can be nudged towards such roles in other sectors.

For others in the ICT sector who may not be equipped with such skills, they can undergo training to take on these jobs, said Mr Tay, who is also a Member of Parliament for the 
West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

MP (Tampines GRC) Desmond Choo, who heads NTUC’s ICT cluster, said a big problem in placing workers into jobs is that many are “quite fixated” with their skills being in just “one industry”. Among other things, pointing them to transferable skills, he said, will help nudge ICT workers into a different sector.

Despite the demand for jobs in the sector, Mr Tay said there appears to be a labour crunch, as employers seek to hire experienced professionals with specialised skills. Another challenge confronting the sector is that, while institutes of higher learning have enlarged their ICT courses, there will be a “time lag”, added Mr Tay.

The ICT sector is also still being hit by collateral effects from other sectors which are “consolidating and offshoring”, such as oil and gas, and offshore and marine, and layoffs may continue.

But noting the rise of digital jobs, he said any “digitally disrupted” sector, such as logistics and food and beverage, will require ICT. 

“There’ll be a sharp increase in demand for such services,” he added.

Mr Tay acknowledged that ICT is not for everyone, since some jobs call for programming. “You need that appetite … and acumen for it,” he said.

While he noted the breadth of training programmes already available in areas such as cyber security, Mr Tay acknowledged that additional ones may have to be developed in fields such as virtual and augmented reality. “We’ll not reinvent the wheel, (but) try to do things that will fill the gaps,” he said.

Other sectors the unit is set to study are healthcare, engineering, early childhood education and the wholesale and retail trade.