Assessed Quantity and Nature of Labour Shortage for 27 Occupations under Shortage Occupation List
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis’ inquiry regarding the assessed quantity and nature of labour shortages for the 27 occupations on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng explained that assessment criteria include economic importance, the degree of shortage, and commitment to developing local talent. Quantitative indicators, such as vacancies unfilled for over six months and job applicant-to-vacancy ratios, are used to identify gaps caused by a lack of specialized local skills. Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng noted that these are supplemented by qualitative input from sector agencies and tripartite partners to ensure a holistic evaluation. The SOL is a dynamic list that will be regularly reviewed to maintain responsiveness to shifting industry conditions and economic priorities.
Transcript
23 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Manpower what is the assessed quantity and nature of labour shortage for each of the 27 occupations under the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) respectively.
Dr Tan See Leng: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) evaluate occupations for the Complementarity Assessment Framework Shortage Occupation List (SOL) based on three criteria: (a) the importance of the occupation to Singapore's economic priorities, (b) the degree and nature of labour shortage, and (c) the sector's commitment to developing the local pipeline to address these shortages.
The degree and nature of labour shortage for each occupation is assessed based on a set of quantitative indicators. This includes data on vacancies that were unfilled for at least six months from MOM's Job Vacancy Survey (JVS), and the ratio of job applicants to vacancies from the MyCareersFuture job portal. The JVS also provides the underlying reasons why these vacancies were hard to fill by locals. When identifying occupations for the SOL, we focused on vacancies that were hard to fill due to a lack of specialised skills among the local workforce.
The quantitative indicators are one part of a holistic assessment across the three criteria. They are supplemented by qualitative input from the relevant sector agencies and feedback from industry and tripartite partners, including on the sector's commitment to developing the local pipeline to address these shortages. The SOL is a dynamic list and will be regularly reviewed by MOM and MTI to ensure it remains responsive to industry conditions.