Project leaders who can communicate in high demand in Singapore

JobTech has identified the most sought-after skills by employers in the info-communications technology (ICT) sector in Singapore. The top five technical and soft skills/traits in the ICT sector were identified and ranked based on the number of unique job postings that employers were seeking from 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2016.

Top skills demanded by Singapore ICT sector employers

No	Technical skills	% share of all unique job postings in the ICT sector	Soft skills/ traits	% share of all unique job postings in the ICT sector
1	Project management	> 10%	Communication/ interpersonal	> 95%
2	C++	> 10%	Analytical/ problem-solving	> 40%
3	C	> 10%	Self-motivated/ proactive	> 20%
4	SQL	> 5%	Leadership	> 20%
5	Java	> 5%	Customer service	> 15%

The data shows high demand for a common set of soft skills/traits within the ICT sector, with communication/interpersonal skills being sought after by more than 95% of all unique job postings in the sector, followed by analytical/problem-solving skills, which make up close to half of the demand. Given that communication/interpersonal skills are required by almost all job postings in the ICT sector, they are probably viewed as a hygiene factor* for employment, Jobtech said.

JobTech also notes that there is great variability in the demand for technical skills within the sector. JobTech has identified at least 20 different types of programming languages that are widely demanded in the ICT sector today, including the four in the top technical skills listed.


*A hygiene factor, or 'dis-satisfiers', first mentioned by Frederick Herzberg in his motivation theory, is something that does not make an employee happier at a workplace, but would cause dissatisfaction if it is missing.  

Singaporeans can apply for government grants to support studies in infocomm, media, and design

Applications for the SkillsFuture Study Awards for the Infocomm, Media and Design sectors will open up to 14 June 2016.

Announced by Singapore Minister for Communications and Information, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim at the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)’s Committee of Supply Debate* 2016, the SkillsFuture Study Award encourages Singaporeans to take ownership of their own skills upgrading, in order to deepen specialist skills needed by future economic growth sectors.

A total of 310 SkillsFuture Study Awards will be available for application by Singaporeans who are in their early to mid-stages of their career and are interested in deepening their skills in the Infocomm, Media and Design sectors. These include:

 150 awards from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA);
 70 awards from the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and;
 90 awards from the DesignSingapore Council

Each award, valued at S$5,000, can be used to defray the recipients’ out-of-pocket training expenses for their courses. The award is bond-free and can be used on top of existing government course fee subsidies.

Interested?

Apply for the SkillsFuture Study Award. It is open for applications by Singaporeans, and nominations by employers. Applicants should:

 Have at least three years of working experience in the relevant sector
 Not be a previous recipient of any SkillsFuture Study Award

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post about Singapore's drive to strengthen infocomm skills

Hashtags: #COS2016, #SGBudget2016, #SmartNation, #YaacobIbrahim

*A Committee of Supply in Singapore consists of the whole Parliament, which will debate to consider the business of supply. It usually sits for seven days or more to deal with the estimates of expenditure for the coming financial year. The Committee considers each ministry’s request for funds and votes on it. In 2016, the debate runs from 6 to 14 April.

Singapore commits to growing talent in infocomm sector

Growth in the ICT sector and Singapore's Smart Nation initiatives are driving increased demand for infocomm professionals, said Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore Minister for Communications and Information, at the Committee of Supply Debate* in answer to queries by committee members. An additional 30,000 infocomm jobs must be filled by 2020, he said.

"As demand far outstrips current supply, and because the landscape is changing so rapidly, it is difficult to meet company needs for skilled manpower without non-Singaporeans entirely. But we must do our best to support our Singaporeans to be highly skilled so that they can compete with global talent," he said in a speech during the debate.

In addition to ensuring sufficient computing science and IT places in institutes of higher learning (IHLs), Dr Yaacob said that students should have work-ready skills, while current workers in the sector should be able to renew skills easily. "We will focus our efforts in high demand areas such as software development, data analytics, cybersecurity, and network & infrastructure. We will hence set aside S$120 million to support training efforts in developing infocomm manpower capabilities, to address immediate and future manpower needs," he said.

Measures to boost the pipeline in talent include:

The Code@SG movement to develop coding and computational thinking as a national capability.

Ensuring more students from each cohort in the infocomm disciplines enter the sector, by providing them with work experience even prior to graduation. The new Industry Preparation for Pre-Graduates (iPREP) Programme will nurture selected students in a structured internship and mentorship framework so that they can build their portfolios and gain sufficient entry-level skills and experience prior to graduation.

"Over three years, we hope to increase the supply of professionals by 2,400," he said.

The government's co-funding of Company-Led Training (CLT) programmes with industry partners has been particularly successful. According to Dr Yaacob, every single participant in Google’s Squared Data and Analytics Programme, with the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) as a partner, found a job after the programme. "Hence, we will expand our CLT programmes to help more than a thousand professionals each year, compared to 160 today. Mid-level professionals will now also benefit from the local and oversea s training and attachments to build expertise and competencies  for jobs in demand, especially in emerging areas like cybersecurity and analytics," he said.

Helping  experienced professionals deepen their skills, or convert to new infocomm disciplines. "IDA’s Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme (CITREP) helps approximately 3,000 mid-level professionals take up professional short courses and certifications every year. Moving forward, we will expand the CITREP+ programme and also," Dr Yaacob noted.

More accelerated Tech Immersion and Placement programmes, or bootcamps. Last year, IDA partnered with General Assembly to offer bootcamps, providing immersive training for people with no background or industry experience in tech, but who have interest in a tech career. "Participants are taught through industry projects by industry practitioners, receive career support, and have job placements opportunities with potential employers. We will ramp up the capacity for to support more than 1,000 Singaporean trainees over the next three years, especially those with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) backgrounds," Dr Yaacob elaborated.

Partnerships through the newly-announced TechSkills Accelerator initiative. "The infocomm industry associations – Singapore IT Federation, Singapore Computer Society and the IT Management Association – have already played a huge role in the past, to develop the National Infocomm Competency Framework. These associations will continue to define new competencies, under the TechSkills Accelerator, and support our shift towards greater recognition of skills mastery.," Dr Yaacob said.

Proxor, a Carnegie Mellon University spinoff, will introduce their skills validation platform as part of the TechSkills Accelerator, allowing employers to test potential employees’ skills in solving realistic problems. Funding support will be provided to Singaporeans who use the platform to validate their skills, Dr Yaacob said.

"A new feature of the TechSkills Accelerator is that the partnership will be anchored by major employers in the sector. This is important because employers must also themselves want to develop a strong Singapore core and offer competitive remuneration to recognise skills achievement, and not just paper qualifications," he added, calling the Government Technology Agency, Singtel, Mediacorp,  ST Electronics, Integrated Health Information Systems, DBS and UOB  anchor employers' of TechSkills Accelerator.

Finally, the minister shared that more than 300 SkillsFuture Study Awards will be given out by this time next year to early-to-mid-career Singaporeans to support aspirations in the infocomm media and design sectors. "Recipients will receive a monetary award of S$5,000 which can be used to defray out-of-pocket expenses associated with the course that they will take," he said.

"I encourage more companies to come on board and to put more emphasis in talent development, so that we can together, build a strong Singapore core for infocomm," Dr Yaacob concluded.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about the Singapore Budget announcement

Read the TechTrade Asia blog posts about the Singapore government boosting national cybersecurity and content creation

Hashtags: #SGBudget2016, #SmartNation, #YaacobIbrahim

*A Committee of Supply in Singapore consists of the whole Parliament, which will debate to consider the business of supply. It usually sits for seven days or more to deal with the estimates of expenditure for the coming financial year. The Committee considers each ministry’s request for funds and votes on it. In 2016, the debate runs from 6 to 14 April.

India boosts intellectual property infrastructure

India's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the extension of strategies to modernise and strengthen intellectual property (IP) offices during the period of the 12th Plan, which runs from 2012 to 2017. The overall project cost would be Rs309.6 crore*, of which Rs258 crore will be spent during 12th Plan and Rs51.6 crore in the 13th Plan.
The move was driven by the growing importance of intellectual property in a globalised economic environment, India’s accession to the Madrid Protocol in April 2013 and the operationalisation of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) as the International Search Authority/International Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty from October, 2013.

In the 12th five year plan the focus will be on the enhancement of human resources, upgrading of IT and databases, building construction, improvement of library facilities and awareness building of intellectual property rights.

During the 11th five-year plan, a new complex for IP archives and the TM registry at Ahmedabad were constructed, as was the ISA/IPEA building in New Delhi. An ICT infrastructure was created including a data centre, servers, digitisation of IP records, and e-filing for patents and trademarks.

*10 million.

Tourists disillusioned with Singapore shopping, loyal locals love their telcos

The Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) (卓越服务研究院) at the Singapore Management University has identified a decline in customer satisfaction with retail and info-communications in Singapore.

In the 2014 first quarter (Q1) Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) results for the retail and info-communications sectors, the university noted that customer satisfaction for the retail sector fell by 2.5 points (or 3.5%) year-on-year to 69.6 points on a 0-to-100 scale. The info-communications sector also dipped, but by 0.9 points (or 1.3%) year-on-year to 66.8 points.

Satisfaction with eight aspects of retail were measured, of which only supermarkets improved: 

• Departmental stores dropped by 6.9 points, a 9.1% fall
• Petrol service stations dropped by 1.4 points, a 1.9% fall 
• Motor vehicles dropped 2.5 points, a 3.4% fall
• Fashion apparel went down by 2.3 points, or 3.2%
• Furniture stores tumbled 8.2 points, representing a fall of 11%
• Jewellery stores flopped 2 points, a 2.8% decrease
• Clocks & Watches were 4.4 points, or 6.0% down, while 
• Supermarkets actually improved by 1.1 points, a marginal increase of 1.6%. This was the sixth year-on-year increase for the subsector, giving it supermarkets a record satisfaction score of 71.1 points in 2014.

Puma store window display in a mall in Singapore.

The ISES notes that tourist respondents were significantly less satisfied this year, compared to last year, with all of the subsectors that took into account tourist responses, namely Departmental stores, Fashion apparel, Jewellery stores, and Clocks & Watches, taking a hit.

Caroline Lim (林晓玲), ISES Director (总监) said, “While both local and tourist respondents were less satisfied with these four subsectors compared to 2013, the difference in magnitude of the changes for each group was quite stark, with tourist satisfaction falling 9.7 points (12.2%) while local satisfaction dipped 1.4 points (1.9%).”

Further analysis showed that all three drivers of satisfaction, namely customer expectations, perceived quality, and perceived value, fell significantly year-on-year for tourist respondents. However, in contrast to tourists’ declining perceptions of value in these four sub-sectors, perceived value for local respondents improved significantly year-on-year. Locals’ expectations and perceptions of quality did not change significantly.

Lim added, “Satisfaction levels will fluctuate year to year, but company leadership should maintain a long-term outlook to progressively raise customer satisfaction. Using this quarter’s Departmental stores data for example, a highly satisfied customer would have spent 23.3% more at the store over a one year period than a less satisfied customer. This link between improved satisfaction and increased spending is compelling and worth tracking.”

Within the info-communications sector, the mobile telecoms sub-sector dipped 0.85 points (1.3%) to 67.2 points, while the broadband subsector fell by 2.2 points (or 3.3%) to 65.3 points. The CSISG added two new subsectors this year: pay TV, scoring 66.5 points, and Wireless@SG, the free nationwide wireless network, which scored 61.5 points.

A significant difference in satisfaction and loyalty levels between new customers, defined as those who had been under two years with the telco, and re-contract customers, those who had decided to sign up again with the same telco after their 2-year contract had expired.

The ISES notes that re-contract customers have greater levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty as compared to new customers. Re-contract customers also had much smaller gaps between their levels of expectations and the perceived quality of their telco, compared to new customers.

Assistant Professor of Marketing (Practice) Marcus Lee (李德发), Academic Director (学术总监) of ISES said, “It is important for service providers to try and meet the ever changing expectations of their customers. Our analysis shows that satisfaction goes down when the perceived quality of the product or service does not live up to the expectations of the customer.

“And for the most part, our telcos seem to be doing a good job of this with their longer tenured customers. In fact, the latest findings show that although expectations of re-contract customers were significantly higher than new customers in the broadband and pay TV subsectors, the telcos were also seen to be delivering an equally high level of quality,” he remarked.

*Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 9,250 resident and tourist respondents between January and March 2014.

It's all about mobile this year for the Philippines

When it comes to the Philippines, it is not about technology so much as it is about mobile technology. 

"The younger segment of the population make up the new workforce. They have the utmost need to be connected, updated, informed and entertained. In most cases, they also have lower number of dependents. All these characteristics point to stronger demand for anything mobile, whether devices, services or applications,” says Jubert Alberto, Research Manager, IDC Philippines.
IDC has forecast that an expected increase of 22% on smartphone spending and 40% on tablet expenditure, coupled with rosy economy indicators, will drive overall ICT spending in the Philippines in 2014. Apart from devices, ICT spending starting this year will be impacted by other aspects of mobility, plus cloud, big data/analytics and social business, as the Philippines embraces these four key pillars of the 3rd platform, IDC said.

Usage of these technologies is being driven by the need of companies for new and effective ways to market and reach out to targeted customers, said the research firm, as well as increasing ICT demand from small and medium enterprises.

The following are some of the top predictions that IDC believes will have the biggest commercial impact on the ICT industry in the Philippines in 2014: 

Mobile data continues to drive telecom growth in the Philippines 

Unlike in other Southeast Asian countries where mobile data will only surpass mobile voice in terms of overall size in 2014, mobile data will continue to drive the Philippines market. Mobile data is expected to grow by 15%, with voice peaking at 7%.

Karen Rondon-Garcia, Research Manager, IDC Philippines, commented: “Popularity of mobile computing devices such as smartphones, mini notebooks and tablets will increasingly translate to actual mobile data usage especially as 3G and 4G coverage improve, and mobile operators become creative in pricing their mobile data services.”
 
The smartphones and tablets craze will open up bigger opportunities in the 3rd platform space

IDC forecasts 40% growth for tablet shipments to the Philippines in 2014. It is also noteworthy that people in the Philippines patronise local brands more often compared to their Asian neighbours. The country still has a lot of room for growth in the tablet space.

Jerome Dominguez, Analyst, IDC Philippines says, “With the bullish tablet and smartphone growth in the country, novel opportunities within the 3rd platform space of social and mobility will increase - which businesses can utilise to their advantage.”

4. Increasing integration of social media and mobility will give rise to new modes of consumption

With the increase of smartphones and tablets in the Philippines, mobile devices have become the preferred primary devices for consumers. Due to this, social media and mobility have increasingly been integrated. 

Cecilia Santos, Analyst, IDC Philippines, states, “In 2014, more organisations will see the importance of having visibility in the mobile social network and look for more creative ways of selling themselves to their consumers through app partnerships.”
 
Mobile apps will go more “Pinoy*” than ever

Over the past few years, Pinoy pride has become very apparent. This is driving the need for a plethora of apps developed which have Pinoy flavor and/or which are specific to Pinoy interests and customs. This trend will be likely continue in 2014.
 
Geolocation will unlock opportunities for commerce

Filipinos are increasingly letting their circles know about the places they frequent, from restaurants, to hang out places to vacation spots through social media. This trend has influenced IDC to forecast that geolocation information will be the game changer in 2014. 

Such data could allow marketers to study the behaviour of current and potential customers based on the places they frequent, their social activities, and interests.
 
Pervasiveness of mCommerce and mobile banking will rise in 2014

mCommerce and mobile banking are not new to the Philippines. However, the explosion of smartphone sales, coupled with expanding 3G coverage and LTE roll out and improving affordability of mobile data services are leading to demand for applications that allow mobile users to shop for products and tickets, book taxis, and sample content among others. 

The growth in smartphone usage is also putting pressure on banks to provide mobile banking services as more customers are demanding it for its convenience. 

Rondon-Garcia adds, “Additionally, mobile banking is the easiest way for banks to reach a larger population, and bridges the gap between banks and people who have no access to traditional banking facilities, particularly in agricultural areas.

"Furthermore, as online shopping becomes increasingly popular, whether using a smartphone or a personal computer, mobile wallets offered by mobile operators provide customers a means to pay for online purchases even when they have no credit cards, PayPal or bank accounts.” 

More technology players in “next wave cities”

With increased expansion of technology-dependent commercial activities outside Metro Manila, IDC predicts a rise in IT spending across more cities in the country: Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Bacolod, Iloilo, Metro Cavite (Bacoor, Imus, and Dasmariñas), Lipa in Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Malolos in Bulacan, Baguio, and Dumaguete.

*Pinoy is a term often used to describe something that is uniquely Filipino.