According to a new survey by Singapore-based UX design education start-up CuriousCore, almost half of Singapore workers (49%) are seeking new jobs in the next six months. 54% want the same job in a similar industry whereas 40% have indicated that they would like a new role in a different sector and 77% also said they would need to upgrade their skills for a new job in a new industry. Only 24% expressed that they are prepared for the changes at the workplace which might be indicative of a greater desire to upgrade to learn new skills.
The findings indicate a greater penchant among Singapore workers to upgrade and learn new skills and attempt a different career path. It is indeed more telling after a global wave of The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting phenomena of the past two years which saw droves of workers quitting their jobs to seek greater balance and reassess their lives and careers in a post-pandemic era.
Daylon Soh, Founder and General Manager of CuriousCore noted “It is the start of a brand new year and people are contemplating their goals and plans. A lot has changed in the way we live and work. Industries and jobs have evolved accelerated by automation and artificial intelligence that require greater agility and adaptability from workers. It is good that Singapore workers are keen to reskill to prepare themselves for opportunities in new industries.”
He further added “With an impending economic slowdown, industry layoffs, and unstable global situations such as geopolitical conflicts, we need to be aware of challenges, but at the same time, opportunities are still present. Workers need to prepare themselves with new skills and tools to take on these new opportunities.”
Other key findings from the survey include:
- 71% cited time as the main reason that will affect their motivation to learn new skills, followed by cost (67%) and effort (55%)
- 45%, aged 36-45, who will be looking for a new job in the first 6 months of 2023, said they will be seeking a job in a different type of sector, whereas under 36% of those aged 46-55 said the same.
- 81% of the respondents aged 26-35 said they think they would need to upgrade their skills for a new job in a new sector, while it only 66%, aged 46-55 said they would do the same
- Data analytics, critical thinking and reasoning, and active learning are the top three skills that Singapore workers consider important skills to learn
57% would attend hybrid or remote specialised courses offered at a local training institution to upgrade their skills, 38% will pursue hybrid or remote learning at a university and 37% will turn to educational video content on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok
71% are more likely to pursue skills upgrading if the government allocates 80% fee subsidy
