AI, robotics amongst skills most sought after in Singapore
Singapore's smart nation drive is fuelling jobs in the tech sector, with artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and data analytics amongst some of the top skillsets being sought after by employers in the country. Soft skills such as customer service and partnerships management also are in demand, according to data from LinkedIn.
The executive networking site on Tuesday published its list of top 15 emerging jobs in Singapore, where AI specialists led the pack, followed by robotics engineers, full stack engineers, backend developers, and data scientists. Cybersecurity specialists and e-commerce specialists also made the list, as did professionals with softer skills such as customer success specialists and creative copywriters.
To establish the top 15 emerging jobs, LinkedIn analysed data of members with a public profile and who held a full-time position in Singapore over the past five years. It then measured the share of hiring and the average growth rate for each occupation between 2015 and 2019 to identify roles that showed the largest growth.
More than 2 million in Singapore have a LinkedIn profile.
Its vice president of Asia-Pacific talent and learning, Feon Ang, said: "Singapore's continued commitment to becoming a digital nation has led to continued demand for some of the fastest growing jobs in our workforce. This also underscores the rise of data experts with a strong focus on technology."
"The biggest skills gap is ultimately soft skills," Ang noted. "Digitisation and automation have opened doors for more jobs that require creativity and interpersonal skills to help make sense of data and technology."
The e-commerce sector, for instance, had seen significant growth in Singapore and fuelled demand for roles that bridged the realms of marketing and digital technology, according to LinkedIn. E-commerce specialists were tasked to create a digital and mobile ecosystem through which customers could be acquired and grown, hence, driving online sales for their organisation.
The Singapore government also established a programme, called AI Singapore, to drive capabilities in the local sector. Last month, it launched a national AI strategy that aimed to tap the technology to create economic value, enhance citizen lives, and arm its workforce with the necessary skillsets. The key goal here was to pave the way for the city-state, by 2030, to be a leader in developing and deploying "scalable, impactful AI solutions" in key verticals.
To snag a role as an AI specialist, LinkedIn pointed to TensorFlow, machine learning, Python, and computer vision as skillsets these professionals would need. It listed Python for Data Science Essential Training, Machine Learning and AI Foundations, and Learning Hadoop as some of the top learning courses on its platform.
Professionals gunning for a role in e-commerce also would have to possess skillsets in digital marketing, social media marketing, and business development.
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