Conducted from 2009 - 2011
By:
Professor Johnny Sung, Principal Research Fellow [Read Bio]
Institute for Adult Learning
Ms Fiona Loke, Research Officer [Read Bio]
Institute for Adult Learning
Ms Catherine Ramos, Senior Research Officer
Institute for Adult Learning
Mr Michael Ng, Lecturer of Economics
School of Arts and Social Sciences,
Open University of Hong Kong
How do workers utilise their skills at work and how does this vary between occupations and sectors?
The government, employers and individuals make high levels of investment in skills development. To get best value out of this investment, we need to understand how the skills gained through training are being utilised at work. This is most effectively achieved by exploring what skills are used and not used, and what priority is given to the different types of skills utilised from the ‘job’ perspective.
Already, the current study is providing baseline data. When repeated, this form of analysis can provide us with a dynamic picture of how skills are changing over time, within the same job or occupation. This will benefit those who are concerned with skills, job design, training and performance from the demand/applied perspective.
A Skills Utilisation Study (SUS) questionnaire was developed drawing on the instrument used in the UK Skills Surveys. From October 2009 to September 2010, questionnaires were administered to workers from a range of key sectors and occupations in Singapore.
Some of the findings of the study include:
The study raises many issues that we need to look at if we are to increase the level of skills utilisation in Singapore workplaces. The results of this study clearly suggests that until we pay attention to skills that are actually used at work, providing ever greater amounts of training alone is unlikely to impact on issues such as productivity and low wage. And because of that, we believe that skill utilisation studies, such as the one we conducted here, will form a crucial link in the effectiveness of future skills strategies of Singapore.
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