SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 26 January 2021 - Despite the pessimistic outlook towards the current job market, bright spots exist where more than half of employers across the board (56%) say they are looking to hire. This has been most apparent in industry clusters such as Essential Domestic Services (65%), Modern Services (62%), and Built Environment (61%).

These findings are part of NTUC LearningHub's (NTUC LHUB) latest New Normal of Sector Skills Report where 367 business leaders (senior manager or directors and above) and 567 full-time employees were surveyed to uncover the shift in jobs and training dynamics across the six major industries clusters in Singapore and to enable our workforce to identify sectors to look out for in the New Normal.

Within the Essential Domestic Services cluster, the top technical roles which employers are looking to hire are 'Early Childhood Care & Education Teacher' (24%), 'Early Childhood Care & Education Workplace Safety and Health' (18%) and 'Training and Adult Education Learning Management' (18%).

Similarly, within the Modern Services cluster, roles such as 'Financial Services Blockchain' (18%), 'Infocomm Technology Cyber Security' (14%), and 'Infocomm Technology Operations and Support' (14%) are the most sought after.

Lastly, as for the Built Environment cluster, 'Built Environment Project Management' (42%), 'Security Consultancy' (26%), and 'Built Environment Engineering Consultancy and Design' (26%) are the top in-demand roles coveted by employers.

The report also reveals that in general, only less than half (48%) say that their companies have employees with the right skill sets to achieve their current goals. Moreover, two thirds (66%) of employers say that the shortage of right talent available to fill the roles they are looking to hire has negatively affected their businesses. This is especially the case for employers in the Manufacturing (81%), Built Environment (71%) and Modern Services (65%).

Commenting on the findings, Tay Ee Learn, Director of NTUC LHUB's Technical Skills Product Division says, "Although some sectors remain hard hit as a result of the effects of the pandemic, it has been proven that there are career opportunities available as companies adapt to new ways of doing business. These findings provide invaluable insights for employees to navigate a 'Never Normal' in their preparation for multiple careers in a lifetime to secure the best chance of thriving in the turbulent pandemic era and beyond."

"To help job seekers navigate the current economy, many employers are open to hiring inexperienced talent with micro-credentials, and this has been prominent in those industries which are experiencing a shortage of skilled talent. We hope that such insights help individuals in their continuous learning journey beyond formal education in seeking job opportunities in new fields or industries."

To download The New Normal of Sector Skill report, visit https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/sector-skills-report-2020