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Future of Work

Green skills for a nation
whose time has come

October 7, 2022 5-MINUTE READ

RESEARCH REPORT

In brief

  • Singapore is at an inflection point of the sustainability revolution and green skills are critical in accelerating the speed of this transition.
  • The real tipping point lies with SMEs who make up 99% of all enterprises and over 70% of the country's employment.
  • Bringing everyone along requires a fundamental change in mindsets and an evolution to a richer skills palette for a green economy.
  • We believe that Singapore can punch above its weight and have what it takes to ensure that the sustainability transition leaves no one behind.

Sustainability is the new digital. An opportunity worth ​more than $1.8 trillion annually by 2030 in Asia alone.

Today, 75% of Singaporean youths are already aspiring to have a career in the green economy, surpassing Europe and the United States.

There are also increasing expectations from key stakeholders both locally and globally that businesses elevate their focus on sustainability.

Since next-gen Singapore is ready, so must the powers who lead them. This is why we need to start charting the path of future generations, now.

Singapore's unique strengths open an opportunity to become a world-class sustainability leader

It’s ours for the taking, but are all of us ready?

Our skills analysis shows that most of Singapore is yet to start the journey towards a sustainable future.

No matter how proud we are as a nation, we need a critical mass of individuals, organisations and industry ecosystems to seize our moment. Change on this scale requires nothing short of a movement. Nevertheless, it appears the majority of Singapore is not yet equipped to make such a monumental transition.

Skills supply and demand are key indicators to track toward green readiness

We looked at over 430 million job ads across four countries and 10 years to get a view on how Singapore is tracking historically, as well as against select international peers.

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As organisations strive to advance their sustainability maturity, the requisite skills and attributes of their workforce also need to evolve.

The foundational skillsets required to thrive in the sustainable future of work aren’t just built around hard-and-fast technical green skills. Instead, we see organisations evolving to a richer skills palette.

Skills Palette for the green economy - it is not the job; it is every job

A future-proofed skill model that redefines the foundational skillsets is required to thrive in the future of work. Business acumen, green skills as well as digital literacy are an integral part of essential skills to perform jobs alongside occupation-based technical capabilities, and underpinned by change management.

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Everyone has a role to play in Singapore’s sustainability story

There’s no green bullet where sustainability is concerned - success depends on combined action across the ecosystem to accelerate change.

SMEs are the engine room of the Singapore economy.

Singapore's SMEs make up 99% of all enterprises and supporting 72% of total employment, but they face greater challenges in the sustainable transition. The path to success means a synthesis of the right mindset, frictionless navigation, and skills & capability.

Yet, the solution itself is the barrier.

SMEs might consider the risk of pursuing ESG initiatives to be larger, alongside the concern about sustainability’s impact on profits. 40% of SMEs still do not believe it is important to incorporate sustainability practices in their businesses.

SMEs can be overwhelmed by the volume of information and options available. 40% of SMEs cited insufficient knowledge to identify and execute sustainable initiatives as the biggest challenge.

Labour and skills shortages are felt more acutely by SMEs. They also cannot afford the higher price that in-demand green skills command. 33% of SMEs cited inadequate non-financial support, such as sustainability training, as one of the main obstacles.

Bringing SMEs along the sustainable journey starts with removing their key friction points

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Singapore can punch above its weight

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Success depends on the combined actions of individuals, organisations, industry leaders, and government to accelerate change. Key actions for each actors in the ecosystem to achieving sustainable potential:

Catalysing the movement. Reduce the friction points in the ecosystem and create stimulus to drive a movement.

  • Support for SMEs. Take a more active role in supporting SMEs with navigation and stewardship through the process of the green evolution
  • Sustainability as a service
  • Green registry
  • Carbon offset purchasing power

  • Best practices hubs: Setting up industry clusters where organisations can come together to share learnings and develop green capabilities
  • Demystifying knowledge sharing: Through awareness campaigns, and collaboration initiatives, industry can drive mutual exchange of ideas and information around sustainability
  • Readily available data: Create industry-wide open-source data and knowledge bases for SMEs to access

  • Creating a compelling case for change. Establish mission and aspirations with sustainability at the core, which speaks not only to the what, but the why
  • Translating the mission into business operations. Embed mission into KPIs, operating models, talent strategies, financing, governance structures, and reward systems.
  • Going digital to go green: Identifying tools and technologies to enhance the sustainability of operations and products

  • Reframing your skills: Take a holistic and strengths-based approach to reframe your current skills and role
  • Adopting a growth-mindset. Engage in lifelong learning in sustainability and share experiences and knowledge with your peers.
  • Following green skills courses: Such as the SSG’s SkillsFuture Series of training programmes, to stay relevant and prepare for the future

Will you join this green wave of change?

About the Authors

Grace Yip

Managing Director – Public Service, APAC Education

Shaun Chau

Managing Director – Sustainability Lead, ANZ

Georgina Kilroy

Director – Economic Insights

Wenfei Wang

Consultant – Talent & Organisation

Jenni Lai

Senior Principal – Thought Leadership, Accenture Research

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