Less than a quarter of Singapore firms have digital skills training plans

Over the next year, the number of Singapore workers requiring digital skills training for their jobs is projected to increase by 647,000, representing 29% of Singapore’s workforce. However, less than a quarter (24%) of employers in Singapore have a training plan in place, which could affect their competitiveness in areas such as productivity, innovation, and employee retention.

The Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce report by cloud giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) also reveals that 65% of Singapore workers believe they need training in cloud-related skills by 2025 to progress in their careers. They feel the need to learn how to make use of cloud-based tools in their work (45%), migrate on-premises facilities to the cloud (30%), and acquire cloud architecture design skills (26%).

Other advanced cloud skills, such as machine learning, will be in high demand in businesses from healthcare to agriculture, fintech to media and entertainment, emerging as the fourth most demanded digital skill by employers by 2025.

According to the report, employers who support skills training programmes see significant benefits, including improved employee productivity (87%), increased revenue (83%), and higher employee retention (81%).

To prepare the next generation of cloud professionals, AWS is working with higher education institutions, non-profits, workforce development organisations, governments, and employers on a range of digital upskilling programmes. This includes the “Cloud Ready SG with AWS” programme, a national workforce development programme developed in collaboration with the Singapore government.

Through the AWS Academy programme, AWS also provides 13 higher education institutions in Singapore with a ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum for their diploma programmes. AWS has trained over 100,000 individuals in Singapore with cloud skills since 2017.