SINGAPORE - Job roles in the logistics sector are on the "move" with the adoption of Industry 4.0 technology solutions, with changes or displacement of positions expected in the next three to five years. Of 56 positions studied in the Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) for the sector, about 54 per cent of job roles - which 36,000 workers account for - will experience at least a "medium degree of change" which will require job redesign or undergo displacement. Overall, all job roles are expected to experience some level of change. New roles such as data analysis and software development are beginning to emerge, and this trend is expected to accelerate. These findings from the JTM for the logistics sector were outlined in the 28th Jobs Situation Report released on Friday (Nov 26). Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the changes to job roles in the logistics sector should make the work more fulfilling, and the emerging positions offer bright prospects. He was speaking to the media on Friday at a virtual press conference after a visit to ST Logistics' facility in Clementi Loop. "I encourage all employers to redesign jobs to increase the attractiveness and appeal of their roles to new and existing workers. This will also help to raise productivity and enable workers to deliver greater value for the business with more value-added tasks," Dr Tan said. More than 86,000 workers are employed in the logistics sector here, based on 2019 data. The JTM for the logistics sector is championed by the Economic Development Board and supported by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Enterprise Singapore, SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore. The map was launched in June 2020. Similar maps have been launched for the wholesale trade, human resources and financial services sectors. Eleven more JTMs are being developed to cover other sectors such as food manufacturing and construction to help guide businesses and workers in transformation efforts to seize new opportunities. In the joint release on Friday, MOM and the four agencies highlighted several findings about the changes in job roles. Some positions like warehouse assistants may be disrupted as transactional tasks, which are manual, labour-intensive and repetitive, become automated. More on this topic Related Story Rising demand, global supply chain disruptions drive logistics firms to diversify and expand Related Story S'porean logistics start-up Ninja Van raises $783m from investors, including Alibaba Workers in such jobs will need to reskill to take on redesigned roles or be redeployed to new ones. Other positions such as freight inspectors, inventory management managers and transport executives will also see their scope augmented by technology to boost efficiency. The report noted that workers above age 40 make up a significant proportion - 63.1 per cent - of local staff in the logistics sector. With the experience and expertise built up over the years, employers can continue to tap this talent pool through upskilling and reskilling. But training should not be limited to just older workers, but also be extended to younger staff whose responsibilities are constantly shifting with the adoption of new technologies. Firms can consider introducing in-house initiatives to build relevant skills or using WSG's career conversion programmes (CCPs) or the Infocomm Media Development Authority's Tech Immersion and Placement Programme, the report said. Close to 650 workers from 226 companies have tapped CCPs relevant to the logistics sector as of September this year. ST Logistics is among firms which have automated processes and embraced CCPs to fulfil new roles over the last two years. The logistics company, among other functions, works with e-commerce retailers to pack and process orders. Through the CCPs, employees learnt how to use new technologies to leverage data insights and reduce labour-intensive work, improving efficiency and output. More on this topic Related Story Schemes help over 3,000 in tourism and lifestyle service sector pick up digital skills Mr Loganathan Ramasamy, chief executive of ST Logistics, said: "While we put in money to upgrade our facilities and... bring in autonomous systems, it's equally or more important to make sure that our workforce is equally ready for using these technologies to enhance productivity." It is important to help staff build confidence in using these systems and make them feel like they are part of the company's transformation, he added.
SINGAPORE - When Ms Joyce Seah left her job at an oil and gas multinational corporation (MNC) last July, she was afraid she would not be able to secure another job amid the weaker hiring market. The company where she worked as a senior buyer restructured during the Covid-19 pandemic and she was assigned a new role which she felt was unsuitable for her. So she resigned. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.
SINGAPORE - Nearly 5,500 job openings are on offer in the healthcare sector, with three in four of them being long-term positions. Close to 40 per cent - or 1,530 - of the 4,080 long-term jobs available are in professional and executive roles, such as nurses, allied health professionals, and finance and human resources executives. The other 2,550 long-term job openings are support roles such as healthcare assistants, therapy assistants and patient service associates. Meanwhile, support and administrative support roles also make up 95 per cent - or 1,330 - of the 1,390 short-term jobs on offer. Close to 5 per cent - around 60 - of short-term jobs are for professionals and executives. These 5,500 long- and short-term jobs are part of the 6,700 job, traineeship and training openings in the sector as at the end of last month, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in its weekly jobs situation report on Thursday (Dec 10). Apart from jobs, there are also about 470 company-hosted traineeships and attachments, as well as 760 training opportunities. The long-term professional and executive roles include enrolled and registered nurses, with monthly salaries of between $3,300 and $5,200 within the first year of entry. The median monthly pay is $3,900. The salary for allied health professionals is $4,100 to $5,000 a month, with a median of $4,400. The long-term healthcare support jobs include roles such as patient service associates, who typically earn $2,400 to $3,000 monthly, with a median of $2,700. Healthcare assistants and therapy assistants earn between $1,800 and $2,300 each month, with a median of $2,100. Healthcare has been among the top sectors offering jobs and skills opportunities. More than 80 per cent of the job openings are offered by the public healthcare clusters such as SingHealth, National University Health System and National Healthcare Group, as well as community care organisations such as Ren Ci Hospital, Vanguard Healthcare and St Luke's Eldercare. The rest are offered by private organisations including Parkway Hospitals Singapore, Healthway Medical Group and Q & M Dental Centre. More than 8,000 placed in healthcare sector since April The ministry said that about 8,350 people were placed into jobs, traineeships and training positions in the healthcare sector between April and last month. About 93 per cent were placed into jobs, the majority of which were shorter term in nature, said the MOM. These include swabbers and swab assistants to support the Covid-19-related operations, as well as care ambassadors and patient concierge personnel attached to public healthcare institutions and community care organisations. While some of these workers are still in their current roles, others have successfully transitioned into longer-term roles in the sector or other job opportunities that they have secured on their own, said the ministry. More on this topic Related Story 7,500 jobs and 1,600 training opportunities in healthcare sector to be created by end-2021 Related Story More applying to make mid-career switch to nursing via professional conversion programme It added that current workers can also consider switching into professional roles such as nursing or allied health by tapping the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs). Singapore's healthcare sector is supported by a workforce of more than 100,000 people across both public and private sectors. About 70 per cent of the workforce is made up of healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and allied health professionals, while the remaining 30 per cent comprises support care, administrative and ancillary workers. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has created temporary vacancies and manpower needs for a range of roles, such as swabbers and swab assistants to support increased testing operations. Care ambassadors are also needed to support hospital nurses, as they were redirected from their original duties to care for Covid-19 patients. In addition, healthcare professionals including nurses and doctors, and supporting staff such as phlebotomists, were mobilised to serve at dedicated Covid-19 facilities and medical posts. Long-term demand for healthcare workers rising In the longer term, an ageing population and rising chronic disease incidence will drive demand for healthcare manpower. New healthcare facilities, such as integrated facilities, general hospitals, community hospitals and polyclinics, will progressively be developed. The sector has been committing resources to expand the pipeline of fresh graduates and mid-career individuals, and offer opportunities to equip existing workers with updated skills, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo at a virtual media conference. The MOM said that the Government and industry has a three-pronged approach to help Singaporeans enter the healthcare sector and thrive in their careers. The sector has been committing resources to expand the pipeline of fresh graduates and mid-career individuals, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO One way is through preparing existing students for careers in healthcare. The Government has been working closely with institutes of higher learning to build a steady pipeline of local healthcare professionals. For instance, local nursing intake increased by about 50 per cent from 1,500 in 2014 to 2,200 to last year. New undergraduate allied health programmes such as dietetics and nutrition and speech and language therapy have been introduced in recent years. Another approach taken is to support fresh graduates and mid-career job seekers without healthcare backgrounds to enter the sector. Several initiatives are in place to do so, including career conversion programmes, training opportunities, and redesigning healthcare jobs that blend clinical support, administrative and operations responsibilities. More on this topic Related Story SIA stewardess of 14 years changes course to be a nurse Related Story askST: How can I take advantage of MOM's labour market, jobs data? This comes amid rising interest among mid-career workers to switch to the healthcare sector during the pandemic. For instance, the number of applications for the PCP for registered nurses (diploma) in the October intake was about three times that of the April intake, the MOM said, without giving numbers. The Government plans to open up training capacity of 900 places over the next three years to cater to mid-career switchers entering into nursing and allied health roles. But this may be adjusted depending on applicants' interest and participation rate. Lastly, existing workers are given continuous training and development opportunities. These include training grants for healthcare professionals to take on skills attachment or formal post-graduate education opportunities. Mrs Teo said: “When people think about whether they will take up a career in healthcare, they also see themselves not just as taking on any job. They see the meaning part of it, but they also know that it is a profession that demands very high level of commitment.” More on this topic Related Story Nurses on Covid-19 front line share their sacrifices and triumphs Related Story Healthcare workers the most important resource in Covid-19 battle
SINGAPORE - Some roles performed by human resource (HR) managers are at risk of being taken over by robots in near future, a study commissioned by the Ministry of Manpower and the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) has found. Of the 27 HR roles that were analysed, 24 will be impacted by technology at varying degrees in the next three to five years, according to the study conducted by advisory, broking and solutions firm Willis Towers Watson released on Thursday (Dec 10). Eight of these roles will be most severely affected and are at risk of being replaced. They are lower level positions in areas such as talent management, performance and rewards, as well as organisation development. This is because the tasks in these roles are administrative in nature and can be automated with advances in robotic process automation, machine learning and social robotics. The remaining 16 jobs, which are at the manager and head levels, will be augmented by technology and require skills in areas such as data analytics. Only three jobs will see minimal impact from automation: head of talent management, HR business partner and manager of organisation development. Meanwhile, technological advancements will lead to the creation of new roles in HR that are highly specialised, such as a HR data analyst, the study found. "In the long term, people analytics will be a key skill required by all roles in HR rather than being a dedicated role," said Willis Towers Watson in its report. The firm noted that the study highlights the need for HR to reinvent itself by driving business transformation. Leaders in the field also need to recognise the need for new capabilities in HR, such as the use of predictive analytics, the firm added. Investing in and adopting technology in HR will increase efficiency and allow HR to deliver "seamless and cutting-edge" services and experiences more effectively, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad on Thursday. "This will enable HR to pursue more strategic high-value activities and unlock value creation for the business," added Mr Zaqy, who was speaking at the People Behind People Forum where he announced the study's findings. He added that MOM will continue to support businesses in strengthening their HR capabilities and helping HR professionals gain new skills to remain relevant. IHRP is also developing training courses for HR professionals to pick up skills to prepare for the digital transformation of the industry. More on this topic Related Story More support for HR professionals through upskilling, strengthening of firms' capabilities Related Story 'People analytics' - how to track workers from afar Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who also spoke at the forum, said HR professionals have been the unseen heroes in keeping workers safe and organisations going during the Covid-19 pandemic. He added that HR professionals will have an even more important role to play, as Covid-19 has accelerated business transformation. In his speech, Mr Zaqy urged businesses and HR leaders to invest in improving HR productivity by adopting technology and supporting skills development. "HR professionals, too, need to step up and take ownership of their own skills development and adopt a growth mindset in embracing digitalisation," he said. More on this topic Related Story Don't worry about being replaced by robots and focus on human strengths: Lawrence Wong Related Story Limits of digital upskilling, reskilling