More Singaporeans open to seeking advice from industry professionals according to WSG-commissioned survey

1. Having a strong professional network and proactive informed career planning are essential ingredients to get ahead in a competitive job market and gain better access to career resources. This is especially so against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which has made many individuals re-evaluate their career options and look for job opportunities in new roles or even sectors amidst a tight labour market.

   
   

2. To date, the volunteer Career Advisors initiative by Workforce Singapore (WSG) has trained and appointed over 300 advisors. Spanning nine sectors, including key growth sectors such as electronics, healthcare, logistics, ICT and sustainability, these volunteer Career Advisors comprise senior executives, company directors, union leaders, HR professionals, alumni of WSG’s programmes and business owners. As part of this initiative, more than 3,000 individuals have participated in career events and one-on-one advisory sessions to date.

   
   

3. Through this initiative, advisees can gain a better understanding of their industry of interest by drawing from the volunteer Career Advisor’s relevant industry experience. Armed with years of experience, skills and networks, WSG’s advisors provide industry-specific advice and insights to help their advisee’s in their career journey. Being experts in their field, these volunteer Career Advisors can help to identify and address possible skills gaps required to switch to and advance in specific sectors, and also recommend relevant initiatives and programmes that can help them upskill and plug these gaps. They can also counsel advisees on what hiring companies in the sector look out for and guide them on articulating relevant or transferable skillsets that could be of value to the organisation.

   
   

4. In addition, the initiative offers a flexible way for advisees to broaden their support network and potentially gain an industry mentor as advisees can discuss with their advisor on the duration and number of sessions according to their needs. Through this, advisees can also be connected to various employment facilitation services and programmes by WSG and NTUC e2i, and be referred to a career coach should they require more intensive job search support. According to a survey commissioned by WSG , 70 per cent of Singaporeans polled in Q2 2022 are open to seeking advice from industry professionals, compared to 59 per cent a year ago.

   
   

5. Mr Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive of WSG, said, “Making significant career decisions can be daunting, and some individuals may not be ready to seek professional career coaching. Therefore, the volunteer Career Advisors act as a bridge to help them make more informed career decisions with greater confidence as the peer support and human touch can make a big difference to their morale and emotional well-being. We are heartened to see many volunteer Career Advisors coming forth to devote time to provide a guiding hand to fellow workers navigating through their career journeys. We encourage more individuals to tap on this initiative and proactively plan for their career and development.”

   
   

6. The volunteer Career Advisors initiative is expected to be progressively rolled out to more sectors in 2023. To date, more than 1,000 individuals have written to WSG to sign up as a volunteer Career Advisor and WSG aims to train and appoint about 400 volunteer Career Advisors by the end of this year. WSG is also working closely with the volunteer Career Advisors to co-create new activities and ideas, and organise more career events to better engage individuals who are looking for career guidance from industry professionals.

About Workforce Singapore

Workforce Singapore (WSG) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower that oversees the transformation of the local workforce and industry to meet ongoing economic challenges. WSG promotes the development, competitiveness, inclusiveness, and employability of all levels of the workforce to ensure all sectors of the economy are supported by a strong, inclusive Singaporean core.

WSG, in partnership with key stakeholders, also addresses the needs of enterprises by providing support to help them transform and remain competitive, while developing a future-ready talent pipeline to support industry growth, and match the right people to the right jobs.

Visit  www.wsg.gov.sg for more information.