The Land Transport Industry in Singapore is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the land transport system, including public and point-to-point (P2P) transport systems. This industry is made up of four main job segments, namely rail, bus, P2P, and motor workshops. Each segment plays a critical role in supporting the operations and maintenance of public service delivery. However, the rise of emerging technologies and trends are expected to impact the four job segments differently.

For instance, the rail segment will require reskilling of the workforce, which is largely made up of rail engineers, technicians and operations staff, to leverage data-driven systems and sensor technology. The bus and P2P sector mainly comprise drivers, captains, engineers, and technicians, while the motor workshop segment consists mostly of car mechanics and is likely to be affected by the trend of electric vehicles (EV) and autonomous vehicles (AV).

1. Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics

The rail sector is set to undergo a major transformation with as a result of the ongoing Industry 4.0 (I4.0) initiatives featuring the digitalisation of industrial production. The Singapore government has expressed a strong commitment to embracing I4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) to advance the development of Rail 4.0. As part of this initiative, there will be a greater emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics. These technologies will enable transport providers to better analyse and interpret large amounts of data to optimise their operations and provide better service to customers.

2. Electric Vehicles

The land transport industry is undergoing significant changes as the Singapore government promotes the adoption of cleaner energy in public and private transport. By 2040, all vehicles across the public bus and P2P segments are expected to run on cleaner energy. The demand for EV and charging points is expected to increase as registration of new diesel vehicles and taxis in Singpaore will cease from 2025. In addition, taxi and private hire car (PHC) operators have pledged to adopt EVs for half of their fleet by 2030, further boosting demand for electric vehicles. As a result, there will be a growing need for automotive mechanics from the motor workshop segment to reskill in relevant electrical, diagnostics, and high-voltage competencies to service these EVs effectively.

3. Autonomous Vehicles

One of the most anticipated trends in the land transport sector is the development and adoption of autonomous vehicles. Although trials are currently being conducted in the public transport industry, widespread adoption of AVs is expected to take place from 2040 onwards. AVs are EVs with more advanced navigation and telematics systems, which means motor workshops will have to adapt and augment the training of their workforce to repair and maintain these complex systems. The use of lidar sensors, navigation technologies, and communication technologies (Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or vehicle-to-everything (V2X)) will require a new set of skills and knowledge to ensure the safe and efficient operation of AVs.

High Impact On Land Transport Industry Jobs

The upcoming trends in the land transport sector are expected to impact certain job roles. In the Rail Operations segment, Communication Controllers, Customer Service Officers/Rovers, Train Captains And Crew Managers are expected to be at risk in 10 years' time or less due to the development of Rail 4.0. The adoption of 4.0 may eliminate the need for manual work and modifying current processes to be more efficient. For instance, the use of robotics and automation is expected to complement the operations and maintenance work and improve overall maintenance productivity and reliability. This will shift from labour intensive task to value-added work using predictive maintenance, which leverages big data analytics to predict future failures in asset performance and prescribe the most effective preventive measure.

Jobs from the bus, taxi and PHC industries will be at risk in 20 years or less, when autonomous vehicle becomes mainstream. Vehicle operations will no longer be required with the driverless technology.

High-impact Land Transport Industry Job Roles Facing Displacement

In 10 years - Rail

• Communication Controller

• Customer Service Officer/Rover

• Train Captain/Senior Train Captain

• Crew Manager

In 20 years – Bus/Car

• Bus Captain/Senior Bus Captain/Chief Bus Captain/Master Bus Captain

• Taxi Driver/PHC Driver

Medium Impact On Land Transport Industry Jobs

Rail Technicians and Rail Operations roles may require job redesign as predictive maintenance leveraging big data analytics becomes more prevalent. This will reduce man-hours for related job roles but also bring new employment opportunities that require reskilling to effectively leverage upon data-driven systems and sensor technology. Similarly, Bus Operations, Engineers, Technicians, and Car Mechanics may also require job redesign as electric and autonomous vehicles become more common. As the industry continues to evolve, reskilling and upskilling will be crucial for individuals to stay relevant and competitive in the job market.

Medium-impact Land Transport Industry job roles facing job redesign

In 5 years - Rail

• Technician/ Senior Technician (Rolling Stock/ Engineering Train)

• Technician/ Senior Technician (Permanent Way and Civil Structure)

• Technician/ Senior Technician (Power)

• Technician/ Senior Technician (Mechanical and Electrical)

• Technician/ Senior Technician (Signal and Communications)

• Technician/ Senior Technician (Automatic Fare Collection)

In 5 years - Bus

• Engineer/ Engineering Manager

• Technician/ Senior Technician/ Section Supervisor/ Foreman/ Workshop Supervisor/ Senior Foreman/ Technical Specialist/ Senior Technical Specialist/ Master Technical Specialist/ Deputy Workshop Manager/ Workshop Manager

• [Motor Workshop] Technician/ Senior Technician/ Section Supervisor/ Foreman/ Workshop Supervisor/ Senior Foreman/ Technical Specialist/ Senior Technical Specialist/ Master Technical Specialist/ Deputy Workshop Manager/ Workshop Manager/ Head of Workshop

In 10 years - Rail

• Train Service Controller/ Depot Traffic Controller/ Depot Train Controller/ Chief Controller/ Controller/ Operations Control Centre Manager/ Head, Operations Control Centre

• Senior Assistant Station Manager/ Assistant Station Manager/ Senior Station Manager/ Station Manager/ Deputy Station Manager/ Rail Service Manager/ Service Operations Manager/ Duty Operations Manager/ Station Operations Manager/ Train Operations Manager/ Head, Train Operations/ Head, Station Operation/ Head, Passenger Services

In 10 years - Bus

• Senior Interchange Officer/ Senior Interchange Assistant/ Interchange Officer/ Interchange Assistant/ Senior Interchange Supervisor/ Interchange Supervisor/ Interchange Manager/ Senior Depot Officer/ Senior Depot Assistant/ Depot Officer/ Depot Assistant/ Senior Depot Supervisor/ Depot Supervisor/ Depot Operations Manager/ Depot Manager

• Chief Bus Controller/ Bus Operations Control Centre Controller/ Deputy Bus Operations Control Centre Manager/ Bus Operations Control Centre Manager

In 20 years – Bus/Car

• Technician/ Senior Technician

• Technical Specialist/ Senior Technical Specialist

The land transport sector is experiencing a significant transformation, creating emerging job opportunities as a result of upcoming trends. I4.0 advancements are driving improvements in productivity and reliability in operations and maintenance of systems. Predictive maintenance, enabled by big data analytics, is a key technology leveraged to predict future asset failures and recommend preventive measures. This has led to new job opportunities, such as data analysts in the rail segment who can effectively utilise data-driven systems and sensor technology. Additionally, as electric and autonomous vehicles begin to hit the road, there will be new employment opportunities, such as EV technicians and AV onboard safety operators. Overall, these trends are creating an exciting range of job opportunities for individuals with the right digital skills and qualifications.

The integration of big data analytics and predictive maintenance in the land transport industry will improve productivity and reliability in operations and maintenance of systems. With the ability to predict future failures in asset performance, preventive measures can be prescribed more effectively. Technical conditions, usage, environment, maintenance history, and equipment resourcing can be provided through advanced data analytic techniques. Data usage and analytics, predictive maintenance, and cyber security skills will be essential to leverage data-driven systems and sensor technology in the land transport sector, particularly with the increasing use of autonomous vehicles.

The Skills Framework

The Skills Framework (SFw) is a SkillsFuture initiative, designed to promote skills mastery and lifelong learning for the Singapore workforce.

For more information on each job role (complete list of skills, critical work functions and key tasks), please refer to the Skills Framework for Public Transport.