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Ten years ago, Singapore launched the SkillsFuture movement with a bold promise: that every Singaporean, regardless of their starting point, could continuously learn and grow throughout their working lives. Today, as we mark this milestone, we face a sobering truth – how to make better use of ‘skills’. We must fundamentally rethink how we identify, recognise, develop, use and reward skills in our economy.
Why skills matter more than ever
Think about your smartphone. Five years ago, you probably did not know how to use half the apps you rely on today - video conferencing, digital payments, food delivery platforms. You learned these skills not in a classroom, but through daily use, adapting as technology evolved.
This is the reality of modern work. Between 2019 and 2024, every single job in Singapore experienced changes in the skills required. Not some jobs — every job. Research (SSG, WSG, October 2025) shows 43% of jobs saw major shifts in the tasks performed. Technology, artificial intelligence and changing business models are reshaping work at a pace we have never seen before.
Yet here is the paradox: while our economy transforms rapidly, we are still stuck in old ways of thinking about talent. We hire based on qualifications and experience. This runs the risk of missing out skilled individuals who have built up skills in daily life and at the workplace.
Understanding skills in everyday terms
So what exactly are "skills"? Simply put, skills are the knowledge-skills-ability you use to get things done. When you coordinate a family gathering, you're using project management and communication skills. When you troubleshoot your computer's failed connection to the Wi-Fi, you are using problem-solving skills. When you convince your child to finish their homework, you are using influence and negotiation skills.
Skills are not mysterious. They are built through daily experiences at work, at home, through hobbies, and yes, through formal learning too. The security guard who learned to use new building management software has developed digital skills. The hawker who started accepting PayNow has acquired financial technology skills. The retiree who helps neighbours navigate government websites holds customer service and digital literacy skills.
The crucial insight: skills are gained and used everywhere, not just in classrooms. Skills are not static. You get better when you use it more frequently. Most time, we are not conscious of the many critical core skills and technical skills we use once we are fluent. Our awareness of skills is heightened when we are learning new skills set in a new context, e.g. learning a new applications.
Tapping on the hidden talent pool
The same research shows that 56% of workers in Singapore report significant changes taking place in their work environment. These changes includes different combinations of innovation activities: technology deployment, working method or practice changes, and product or service change. This implies that business transformation is well underway in Singapore firms.
Firms will need to mobilise its incumbent workforce at all level to participate in the transformation and recruit people with the skills to build up its capacity. Who has the capability to lead and drive change? The answer has to be everyone. An example is Cragar Industries that worked with the Centre for Skills-First Practices at IAL to transform work of its financial executive role in the adoption of technology and build up new skills-set to focus on higher-value contributions. The financial executives saw their role shift from administrative execution to analytic and strategic responsibilities.
Consider this: data shows that workers in businesses undergoing transformation use a wider range of complex skills like collaboration, influence, and problem-solving. These are the "collaborative innovators" who drive change. Hence, we have great potential to tap on the hidden talent of the incumbent in the workforce to become “collaborative innovators”.
What skills-first means for you
A skills-first approach means putting demonstrated capabilities at the centre of how we make decisions, about hiring, about job design, about career development, and about rewards.
For job seekers and employees: Stop thinking your career is defined only by your qualifications. Start building your "skills portfolio" — a diverse mix of high-growth skills (like AI application, data strategy) and high-ubiquity skills (like Critical Core Skills, project management, stakeholder engagement). Use tools like the Careers & Skills Passport to document your actual capabilities, not just your certificates. Think beyond your current role — what skills are you building through your work today that could open doors tomorrow? How can you demonstrate the utilisation of skills in solving life or work problem — demonstrating skills are fundamentally critical.
For managers and employers: Challenge yourselves to hire differently. When you write job descriptions, focus on the skills actually needed, not credentials that seem "safe." A logistics analyst does not need a specific degree — they need data analysis skills, problem-solving abilities, and business acumen. Many capable candidates have these, regardless of their educational background.
Redesign jobs to better utilise your team's skills. Research shows 82% of organisations pursuing job redesign cite workforce reskilling as their top motivation. Those that invested in reskilling for redesigned roles experienced better talent retention and business outcomes. When you redesign work thoughtfully, you unlock potential you did not know exist in your team.
For business leaders: Make skills development central to your business strategy, not an afterthought. Companies in Singapore facing transformation are nearly twice as likely to invest in structured training. They understand that as their business evolves, their workforce capabilities must evolve in tandem. Skills are not just a human resource concern, they are a competitive advantage. More firms are utilising non-formal and informal learning to achieve business outcomes.
For educators and training providers: Recognise that your role extends beyond credentials. Focus on developing competencies that employers actually need and that individuals can immediately apply. Tag your programmes with the specific skills they develop so learners can make informed choices. Help your learners build up capability to demonstrate their skills to achieve business outcomes.
For all of us as a society: We need to shift from valuing "where you studied" to "what you can do" and "what we can continue to learn-and-apply." This cultural change will not happen overnight, but it starts with each of us in our organisations, our communities, our families, recognising and respecting skills wherever they are found.
Singapore's progress and path forward
Singapore now ranks 12th globally in the Skills-First Readiness and Adoption Index among 30 economies. We lead in digital skills recognition through innovations like the Careers & Skills Passport, provide strong career-learning-skills guidance and provide jobs-skills insights toolkits.
More critically, skills-first hiring practices remain limited. Only 21% of Singapore employers identify removing degree requirements as a promising way to increase talent availability — among the lowest compared to peer nations. About 42% say they would not prioritise university degrees when assessing candidates — also the lowest among all countries surveyed.
We can do better. We must do better.
Taking action today
The future of work is here. With 83% of Singapore employers reporting hiring difficulties, the urgency for skills-first practices could not be clearer.
Start small but start now. If you are an individual, document your skills and seek opportunities to stretch them. If you are a manager, challenge one hiring assumption this month. If you are a business leader, pilot skills-first practices in one department. If you are an educator, co-design one programme with industry based on actual skill needs.
Over the past decade, SkillsFuture has built the foundation: mindsets, systems, resources. Now we must build the house. A skills-first Singapore is not just about economic competitiveness, though that matters. It is about creating a society where everyone is capabilities are recognised, where opportunity genuinely exists for all, and where your tomorrow is not limited by your yesterday.
The question is not whether skills matter, they clearly do. The question is whether we will have the courage to act on what we know. Will we recognise talent in unexpected places? Will we create work that challenges and grows people? Will we reward contribution over credentials?
We need to seize the opportunities for collective actions - individuals, employers, labour movement, education and training partners and policymakers in the adoption of skills-first practices. Singapore's next chapter depends on how we answer these questions. Let's write it together — skills first.
Why skills matter more than ever
Think about your smartphone. Five years ago, you probably did not know how to use half the apps you rely on today - video conferencing, digital payments, food delivery platforms. You learned these skills not in a classroom, but through daily use, adapting as technology evolved.
This is the reality of modern work. Between 2019 and 2024, every single job in Singapore experienced changes in the skills required. Not some jobs — every job. Research (SSG, WSG, October 2025) shows 43% of jobs saw major shifts in the tasks performed. Technology, artificial intelligence and changing business models are reshaping work at a pace we have never seen before.
Yet here is the paradox: while our economy transforms rapidly, we are still stuck in old ways of thinking about talent. We hire based on qualifications and experience. This runs the risk of missing out skilled individuals who have built up skills in daily life and at the workplace.
Understanding skills in everyday terms
So what exactly are "skills"? Simply put, skills are the knowledge-skills-ability you use to get things done. When you coordinate a family gathering, you're using project management and communication skills. When you troubleshoot your computer's failed connection to the Wi-Fi, you are using problem-solving skills. When you convince your child to finish their homework, you are using influence and negotiation skills.
Skills are not mysterious. They are built through daily experiences at work, at home, through hobbies, and yes, through formal learning too. The security guard who learned to use new building management software has developed digital skills. The hawker who started accepting PayNow has acquired financial technology skills. The retiree who helps neighbours navigate government websites holds customer service and digital literacy skills.
The crucial insight: skills are gained and used everywhere, not just in classrooms. Skills are not static. You get better when you use it more frequently. Most time, we are not conscious of the many critical core skills and technical skills we use once we are fluent. Our awareness of skills is heightened when we are learning new skills set in a new context, e.g. learning a new applications.
Tapping on the hidden talent pool
The same research shows that 56% of workers in Singapore report significant changes taking place in their work environment. These changes includes different combinations of innovation activities: technology deployment, working method or practice changes, and product or service change. This implies that business transformation is well underway in Singapore firms.
Firms will need to mobilise its incumbent workforce at all level to participate in the transformation and recruit people with the skills to build up its capacity. Who has the capability to lead and drive change? The answer has to be everyone. An example is Cragar Industries that worked with the Centre for Skills-First Practices at IAL to transform work of its financial executive role in the adoption of technology and build up new skills-set to focus on higher-value contributions. The financial executives saw their role shift from administrative execution to analytic and strategic responsibilities.
Consider this: data shows that workers in businesses undergoing transformation use a wider range of complex skills like collaboration, influence, and problem-solving. These are the "collaborative innovators" who drive change. Hence, we have great potential to tap on the hidden talent of the incumbent in the workforce to become “collaborative innovators”.
What skills-first means for you
A skills-first approach means putting demonstrated capabilities at the centre of how we make decisions, about hiring, about job design, about career development, and about rewards.
For job seekers and employees: Stop thinking your career is defined only by your qualifications. Start building your "skills portfolio" — a diverse mix of high-growth skills (like AI application, data strategy) and high-ubiquity skills (like Critical Core Skills, project management, stakeholder engagement). Use tools like the Careers & Skills Passport to document your actual capabilities, not just your certificates. Think beyond your current role — what skills are you building through your work today that could open doors tomorrow? How can you demonstrate the utilisation of skills in solving life or work problem — demonstrating skills are fundamentally critical.
For managers and employers: Challenge yourselves to hire differently. When you write job descriptions, focus on the skills actually needed, not credentials that seem "safe." A logistics analyst does not need a specific degree — they need data analysis skills, problem-solving abilities, and business acumen. Many capable candidates have these, regardless of their educational background.
Redesign jobs to better utilise your team's skills. Research shows 82% of organisations pursuing job redesign cite workforce reskilling as their top motivation. Those that invested in reskilling for redesigned roles experienced better talent retention and business outcomes. When you redesign work thoughtfully, you unlock potential you did not know exist in your team.
For business leaders: Make skills development central to your business strategy, not an afterthought. Companies in Singapore facing transformation are nearly twice as likely to invest in structured training. They understand that as their business evolves, their workforce capabilities must evolve in tandem. Skills are not just a human resource concern, they are a competitive advantage. More firms are utilising non-formal and informal learning to achieve business outcomes.
For educators and training providers: Recognise that your role extends beyond credentials. Focus on developing competencies that employers actually need and that individuals can immediately apply. Tag your programmes with the specific skills they develop so learners can make informed choices. Help your learners build up capability to demonstrate their skills to achieve business outcomes.
For all of us as a society: We need to shift from valuing "where you studied" to "what you can do" and "what we can continue to learn-and-apply." This cultural change will not happen overnight, but it starts with each of us in our organisations, our communities, our families, recognising and respecting skills wherever they are found.
Singapore's progress and path forward
Singapore now ranks 12th globally in the Skills-First Readiness and Adoption Index among 30 economies. We lead in digital skills recognition through innovations like the Careers & Skills Passport, provide strong career-learning-skills guidance and provide jobs-skills insights toolkits.
More critically, skills-first hiring practices remain limited. Only 21% of Singapore employers identify removing degree requirements as a promising way to increase talent availability — among the lowest compared to peer nations. About 42% say they would not prioritise university degrees when assessing candidates — also the lowest among all countries surveyed.
We can do better. We must do better.
Taking action today
The future of work is here. With 83% of Singapore employers reporting hiring difficulties, the urgency for skills-first practices could not be clearer.
Start small but start now. If you are an individual, document your skills and seek opportunities to stretch them. If you are a manager, challenge one hiring assumption this month. If you are a business leader, pilot skills-first practices in one department. If you are an educator, co-design one programme with industry based on actual skill needs.
Over the past decade, SkillsFuture has built the foundation: mindsets, systems, resources. Now we must build the house. A skills-first Singapore is not just about economic competitiveness, though that matters. It is about creating a society where everyone is capabilities are recognised, where opportunity genuinely exists for all, and where your tomorrow is not limited by your yesterday.
The question is not whether skills matter, they clearly do. The question is whether we will have the courage to act on what we know. Will we recognise talent in unexpected places? Will we create work that challenges and grows people? Will we reward contribution over credentials?
We need to seize the opportunities for collective actions - individuals, employers, labour movement, education and training partners and policymakers in the adoption of skills-first practices. Singapore's next chapter depends on how we answer these questions. Let's write it together — skills first.
The above article is contributed by Dr Gog Soon Joo, Fellow at the Centre for Skills-First Practices, IAL. Dr Gog is also the Chief Skills Officer of SkillsFuture Singapore.