Data scientists, cyber-security specialists among top emerging jobs in S’pore: LinkedIn report

SINGAPORE — As demand for digital talent continues to rise, data scientists, cyber-security specialists, user-experience designers, digital heads, and content specialists have ranked as the top emerging jobs here, based on a new report by professional networking site LinkedIn.

The 2018 Emerging Jobs in Singapore report released on Thursday (Sept 6) showed that data-scientist jobs recorded the steepest rate of growth (17 times) between 2013 and last year.

This was followed by cyber-security specialists (5.5 times), user-experience designers (3.4 times), and digital heads and content specialists (both 3 times) over the same period.

The report covered more than two million registered LinkedIn users in Singapore. The professional network grouped the millions of job titles based on common roles, and tabulated the frequency of job titles held in 2013 compared with last year.

The top five up-and-coming positions were derived from job titles which recorded the largest growth in frequency over that period.

Ms Feon Ang, LinkedIn’s Asia-Pacific vice-president for talent and learning solutions, noted that while all the top emerging positions were related to technology, many of these jobs — such as user-experience design — entail management and communication skills. This makes them “hybrids” of new and traditional roles.

But the report also warned that while demand for digital talent continues to grow rapidly, it is stymied by a labour crunch here.

WHAT THE HOT JOBS ARE:

DATA SCIENTISTS

• Businesses are increasingly banking on professionals who can make sense of data to offer financial or consumer insights.
• This has seen data scientists top the charts not only as the fastest-emerging role, but also the highest in demand.
• Many data scientists are academics, some of whom are lured by the prospect of working on “stimulating or influential projects”, said the report.
• Key skills required include data science, machine learning, analytics, big data, and data mining.
• Since last year, the biggest pool of data scientists from overseas are from India (22 per cent), followed by France (13.8 per cent), and the United States and China (both 8.9 per cent).

CYBER-SECURITY SPECIALISTS

• Increasing awareness of the risks posed by cyber crime and espionage among organisations and individuals is fuelling the demand.
• As cyber threats become more sophisticated, Singapore is set to face a potential talent shortage of up to 3,400 cyber-security professionals in 2020, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore has warned.
• Key skills required include computer security, information security, research, consulting and sales.
• Nearly one-fifth of the pool of cyber-security specialists from abroad are from India (19.4 per cent), eclipsing those from Australia (12.9 per cent), as well as Hong Kong, France and the United Arab Emirates (all 9.7 per cent).

USER-EXPERIENCE DESIGNERS

• They improve applications, develop websites or enhance a product’s ease of use.
• It entails a mix of hard skills such as coding and prototyping with soft skills such as analysis and collaboration.
• Largely the preserve of technology companies previously, user-experience designers are fanning out across the workforce. For instance, they can be found in firms in the financial sector working to revamp their apps and raise their digital game.
• User experience, interface and Web design are among the top skills required.
• 14.3 per cent of user-experience designers from abroad are from the United States, followed by Malaysia and the United Kingdom (both 10 per cent), India and China (both 7.1 per cent).

DIGITAL HEADS

• The emergence of digital heads may be due in part to more financial institutions investing in the online and digital space.
• They lead projects in large companies and drive digital transformations, including taking a traditional business into the digital age.
• Apart from technical skills, such positions require “excellent soft skills”, particularly in communication and management.  
• Principal skills needed are in areas such as digital marketing, Internet banking, management, communication, and knowledge about the digital economy.
• About 15.7 per cent of digital heads from abroad are from Australia. They are also from Malaysia and Hong Kong (13.7 per cent), and 11.8 per cent are from the UK.

CONTENT SPECIALISTS

• Singapore is emerging as a hub for content specialists as firms dish out content to reach their target audiences.
• Global firms with regional headquarters in Singapore are seeking content that can be tailored readily to different Asian markets, and there is room to expand Singapore’s niche in this area across Asia, said the report.
• Many content specialists have journalism or publishing backgrounds.
• However, the report cautioned that schools’ emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics over humanities subjects may “expose a gap in the future workforce amid the rising demand for content”.
• Main skills required are in content marketing, communication, research, messaging and project management.
• While Singaporeans are taking on such jobs, the UK and India (14.5 per cent each) have the largest share of content specialists from abroad, followed by Australia (13 per cent), Malaysia and the US (both 8.7 per cent).