Jobs in Sustainability or Green Economy Sector and Initiatives to Boost Workforce Capability
Ministry of Trade and IndustrySpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the current and projected growth of jobs in the green economy and initiatives to boost workforce capability, raised by Mr Saktiandi Supaat. Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong stated that the Green Skills Committee is identifying job roles and demand, noting there is currently no global definition of the green economy. To support upskilling, the Government has launched Career Conversion Programmes and SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes for roles like sustainability officers and carbon analysts. Furthermore, Institutes of Higher Learning provide over 250 sustainability-related courses to equip the workforce with green skills. The Government is collaborating with industry partners to expand these efforts and help Singaporeans seize new opportunities in sustainability.
Transcript
29 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the current number of jobs in the sustainability or green economy sector in Singapore; (b) how is that number projected to increase in the next 10 years in terms of magnitude and across its sub-sectors; and (c) what are the current and upcoming initiatives to boost our workforce's capability in this sector.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: As action against climate change gathers speed globally and takes on greater urgency, new jobs and roles are emerging as green businesses, technology, products and services are being formed. Currently, there is no global or widely accepted definition of what constitutes a "green economy". The Green Skills Committee set up by the Ministry, in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), has started to identify the jobs and skills associated with opportunities in these spheres. The Committee will not only size the workforce demand but also develop the required training programmes for workers.
Meanwhile, the Government has rolled out training programmes under Workforce Singapore’s Career Conversion Programme and SSG’s SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes to help our workers upskill and reskill. These programmes will support workers in taking on new roles, such as sustainability officers and carbon analysts, to help businesses decarbonise and implement their net-zero strategies. Our Institutes of Higher Learning also offer more than 250 sustainability-related Continuing Education and Training courses to equip the workforce with green skills.
The Government is working closely with the Green Skills Committee, industry players and training providers to expand our efforts to help Singaporeans seize opportunities in the green economy.