Ensuring Aviation and Aerospace Sectors Continue to be Attractive to Singaporean Workers
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns MP Sharael Taha’s inquiry on ensuring the aviation and aerospace sectors remain attractive to Singaporeans given future developments like Changi Airport Terminal 5. Minister of State Jeffrey Siow highlighted tripartite efforts in job redesign and technology adoption, including a SATS-NTUC pilot project and artificial intelligence capability building by CAAS. He noted that the Career Conversion Programme has reskilled over 5,000 individuals for growth roles, bolstering a workforce that currently employs more than 80,000 workers. Outreach and recruitment have been strengthened through partnerships with Institutes of Higher Learning and sector-wide events such as the OneAviation Careers and Education fair. These initiatives support new investments in the Changi East developments and ensure the sector offers good, longer-term prospects to ride on projected regional travel growth.
Transcript
54 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Acting Minister for Transport whether the Ministry can provide an update on what progress has been made in ensuring the aviation and aerospace sector continues to be an attractive sector for Singaporeans to work in, in light of the sector's future growth, including Changi Airport Terminal 5.
Mr Jeffrey Siow: International travel, especially in the Asia Pacific region, is expected to continue growing in the coming decades. To ride on this growth, Singapore is investing in Terminal 5, the Changi East industrial zone and Changi East urban district. We are also anchoring new investments for the aerospace sector.
With these developments, opportunities in the aviation and aerospace sectors, which collectively employ over 80,000 workers today, are expected to grow. Tripartite partners have also been advancing efforts on several fronts to ensure that these sectors remain attractive to Singaporeans.
First, tripartite partners have promoted and supported job redesign and technology adoption. In August 2024, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) announced the first pilot project between SATS and NTUC to improve jobs and make them more attractive to Singaporeans. With the support of the Air Transport Executive Staff Union and the SATS Workers' Union, SATS leveraged the NTUC Company Training Committee Grant to transform jobs in passenger services, cargo and apron operations. The Civil Aviation Authority Singapore (CAAS) has also signed a memorandum of understanding with AI Singapore and aviation companies to accelerate overall artificial intelligence capability building.
Second, tripartite partners have expanded training and upskilling opportunities. Workforce Singapore's Career Conversion Programme (CCP) has broadened the aviation and aerospace sectors' talent pool by reskilling mid-career new hires or existing employees into growth job roles with good, longer-term prospects. As of 2024, over 5,000 individuals from the two sectors have benefitted from CCPs.
Third, we have strengthened outreach and recruitment efforts. CAAS and the Singapore Economic Development Board partner various organisations, including Institutes of Higher Learning, on outreach initiatives to youths. Besides recruitment drives by companies, we organise sector-wide recruitment efforts, such as the OneAviation Careers and Education fair in July 2025, which allowed visitors to learn about developments and opportunities in the aviation and aerospace sectors.