Ms See Jinli Jean asked the Minister for Education in view of the Labour Force in Singapore 2024 report which states that more unemployed non-trainees did not know what skills to pick up or improve on to stay relevant to job demands (a) whether motivating and equipping more employers to pivot to skills-based hiring can help increase overall training intensity; (b) if so, how will the Ministry do so; and (c) how will the Government translate such efforts into placement outcomes for industries like information and communications where the unemployment rate has risen.

The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Education) : Mr Speaker, individuals who are unsure of which skills to invest in can refer to the online jobs-skills insights, resources and tools on the Jobs-Skills Portal developed by the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech). Those who prefer one-to-one consultation can visit Workforce Singapore’s (WSG’s) or e2i's career centres to find out what career options best match their interests and skills and also engage SSG’s Skills Ambassadors for personalised course recommendations.

Employers can certainly create greater confidence for individuals to pursue industry-relevant training by adopting skills-based hiring practices. These practices include identifying their skills needs, articulating them clearly in the job requirements and also recognising individuals' skills and competencies attained rather than relying only on credentials and qualifications alone. It is in employers' interest to do so because they will benefit from having access to a wider talent pool.

To further encourage employers to adopt skills-based hiring, the Ministry of Manpower, WSG and SSG have launched the Career Health SG. This initiative equips employers with tools and resources, including those developed by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) to practise skills-first hiring and develop their workforce.

In addition, SSG works closely with industry intermediaries to strengthen sectoral skills development pathways. For example, the Singapore Computer Society, one of SSG's Skills Development Partners, launched the Skills Pathway for Cybersecurity last year, presenting a clearer career roadmap for individuals to enter the cybersecurity field or for existing cybersecurity professionals to upskill. It brings together key employers in the sector to recognise the professional skills that individuals need to obtain to be considered for interviews and internships, and this can improve their employability too.

Mr Speaker : Ms Jean See.

Ms See Jinli Jean (Nominated Member) : I thank the Minister of State for her answer. Just wanted to ask: what are the roadblocks that the Ministry envisages in pushing forward skills-first hiring? And which sectors would the Ministry consider making greater traction and also leading the effort in redefining and reframing the way that we look at employment?

Ms Gan Siow Huang : First of all, we recognise that we can do more to reach out to people who are unemployed. I think this is in the context of Ms Jean See's question – reaching out to them so that they know the resources that are available that they can tap on. Secondly, for employers, supporting employers and helping them to understand how their companies can benefit from skills-based hiring.

We do not have specific preferred sectors to develop this, but certainly we are very happy to work with our tripartite partners, including the Singapore National Employers' Federation, the National Trades Union Congress, the trade associations and chambers, and the Singapore Business Federation to help engage employers and companies out there.

Another important partner would be IHRP, the HR professionals. We think that by strengthening their competency in applying skills-based hiring and employment practices, we can take the step further in promoting skills-based hiring in Singapore.