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Jobs Situation Report 10th Edition (19 Oct)

Over 2,800 opportunities in Electronics. Helping jobseekers, including those without prior experience, pivot into the growth industry through various career conversion, traineeship and attachment programmes.

Skills, training and development Statistics and publications
  1. This week’s Jobs Situation Report focuses on the Electronics industry within the Manufacturing sector. It will highlight where the opportunities are and how jobseekers can access them.

    Overview of the Electronics Industry

  2. Singapore’s Electronics industry employs around 70,500 workers specialising in semiconductor, consumer electronics and information technology, as well as niche areas such as encryption technology, integrated circuit design, satellite communications and wireless technology. It accounted for 39% of Singapore’s manufacturing GDP in 2019.

  3. Despite the impact of COVID-19 on our economy, the Electronics industry continued to be in expansionary mode.
    1. Electronics was the only industry within Manufacturing that saw an increase in total employment (1,000) locally, even amid the largest contraction on record in 2Q 2020.
    2. This was partly due to the surge in demand for digital goods and services to help individuals stay connected, even with travel restrictions, safe distancing measures and remote working arrangements in place.
    3. Besides increasing capacity to meet demands for electronics components, firms are also transforming to focus on higher-value manufacturing activities by using technology such as Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics and automation.

    SGUnited Jobs and Skills Opportunities in the Electronics industry

  4. Since April, over 130 companies in the Electronics industry have offered over 2,800 opportunities, 65% of which are jobs (see Chart 1 below).
    Chart 1

  5. Almost all of the job roles offered are for PMETs.
    1. Majority are technical roles such as Manufacturing Engineering Technicians, Electronics/Mechanical Engineers, and Industrial and Production Engineers.
    2. There are also non-technical roles such as Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Sales & Marketing Executives as well as Business Development Managers.
    3. Companies hiring include GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte Ltd, Micron Semiconductor Asia Operations Pte Ltd, United Microelectronics Corporation and Lite-On Singapore Pte Ltd.

  6. Salaries offered for these roles range from $1,800 to $8,500, depending on the skills required (see Chart 2).
    Chart 2

    Helping Jobseekers Pivot to Opportunities in the Electronics Industry

  7. Some jobseekers may have the impression that employers in the Electronics industry only hire jobseekers from the same sector or hire individuals with technical skills, and hence overlook these opportunities. This is not necessarily true.

  8. Many mid-career individuals from other industries have been able to successfully enter (or re-enter) the industry.
    1. As highlighted earlier, the sector offers non-technical roles, which jobseekers without engineering backgrounds can apply for.
    2. Employers also value transferrable skills and wealth of experience of mid-career individuals.
    3. Table 1 highlights some of these transferrable skills that employers look out for, as well as skills that mid-career individuals can acquire to enhance their career prospects in the Electronics industry. 



  9. Jobseekers keen to enter the Electronics industry but lack the relevant skillsets can bridge skills gaps through WSG’s career conversion programmes. There are 10 Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) and Place-and-Train (PnT) Programme which impart different skills from engineering, supply chain and logistics, manufacturing, operations to technical sales. In particular:
    1. Place-and-Train Programme for Electronics Operators equips mid-career operators and existing non-PMET workers with skills for taking on new or enhanced roles.
    2. PCP for Electronics Engineer and Electronics Assistant Engineers lowers the barriers of entry into roles in production, facilities management, R&D, automation and integration, and technical support.

  10. 49-year-old Mr Goo is one such individual.
    1. He was previously an SAP Consultant in the Healthcare industry when he saw opportunities in big data applications and decided to switch to the semiconductor industry.
    2. A business graduate without an engineering background, Mr Goo, through the PCP for Electronics Engineer, was able to join Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company Pte Ltd as a Senior Engineer to manage and support their enterprise modules.
    3. His new role enabled him to automate data programming work, as opposed to doing it manually in his previous role.
    4. Apart from honing enterprise IT skills through his core work, Mr Goo also works with his team to develop IT applications using artificial intelligence, to drive digital transformation and cost-saving efficiency for the organisation.

  11. Another individual, 36-year-old Jacob Ong, also successfully re-entered the industry through the PCP for Electronics Engineer.
    1. Jacob used to be an Associate Engineer with GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore before he decided to go into teaching. However, after five years as a secondary school teacher, Jacob realised his passion was still in Electronics.
    2. Through the PCP, Jacob joined his former company as a Senior Engineer in Radio Frequency testing.
    3. Having been away for a few years, Jacob had to quickly adapt to the new trends. The PCP flattened his learning curve by equipping him with useful competencies such as Radio Frequency Testing and Instrumentation, parameter analyser, modelling and electromagnetic simulators and software.
    4. He was also able to leverage on the soft skills he gained through teaching such as communications, empathy and time management.
    5. Jacob hopes to continue his lifelong learning journey with his new career.

  12. Jobseekers with little or no prior experience can tap on the following to gain exposure to the work in Electronics:
    1. Company-hosted traineeships and attachments under the SGUnited Traineeships and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programmes
      • Roles offered include Lab Technologist Trainee, Plant Data Automation Trainee, Associate Lean Engineering Trainee, Production Technology Trainee and Plant Automation Engineering Trainee
    2. Training courses under the SGUnited Skills Programme
      • Examples include Semiconductor Technology (Singapore Polytechnic), Converged Infocomm Infrastructure (Nanyang Polytechnic), Electronics Engineering and Infocomm Technology (Nanyang Polytechnic)

  13. Between April to September 2020, more than 220 individuals have been placed into jobs and traineeships in Electronics.
    1. 180 found jobs or took on new roles
      • Close to half are mature workers above 40
    2. More than 40 enrolled in traineeships since June.
      • One of them is 23-year-old Sophia Liew who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering in May 2020
      • After facing difficulties securing a job, she decided to consider alternative pathways and successfully secured a traineeship with GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore in September 2020. As their Environmental Specialist Trainee, Sophia currently works on enhancing the toxic industrial waste management system using Artificial Intelligence.
      • Apart from honing soft skills through working with various stakeholders, Sophia also deepened her expertise in environmental engineering through the company’s structured training and development programme.

    Matching and apprising jobseekers on available opportunities

  14.  To help jobseekers access committed opportunities, the Government has ramped up employment facilitation efforts. From January to September 2020, about 51,700 jobseekers have received basic career advisory or job search assistance through WSG and NTUC-e2i’s career matching services.
    1. This 49% year-on-year increase in number of jobseekers assisted is due to increased outreach through an expansion of WSG and NTUC’s e2i touchpoints as well as increased demand of jobseekers wanting to make career transition.
    2. 28,400 received individualised career coaching - 21% more than the same period in 2019.

    For more information

  15. To find out more about:
    1. Immediate job opportunities in the Electronics industry under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, please visit www.go.gov.sg/mcfelectronics.
    2. WSG’s programmes and career advisory and matching services, please visit www.mycareersfuture.gov.sg/careercoaching (QR code below) or call WSG’s hotline at 6883 5885.
    3. SSG’s SGUnited Skills programmes, jobseekers can visit https://www.myskillsfuture.sg/sgunitedskills.
    4. SSG’s Skills and Training Advisory services, jobseekers can visit https://www.myskillsfuture.sg/content/portal/en/career-resources/career-resources/education-career-personal-development/skills-training-advice.html
    5. Upcoming engagement and outreach events organised by NTUC’s e2i and WSG, jobseekers can visit https://www.ssg-wsg.gov.sg/events.html or https://e2i.com.sg/events/. The list of events for the month of Oct 2020 can also be found in Annex D.

ANNEX

Annexes - Jobs Situation Report 10th Edition