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Opening Address at SUSS-UOB-SMF Global Leadership Symposium

Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash, One Farrer Hotel

Skills, training and development

Professor Robbie Goh, Provost of the Singapore University of Social Sciences

Mr. Ian Wong, Managing Director and Head of Group International Management, UOB

Mr. Lennon Tan, President, Singapore Manufacturing Federation and Group Chairman, ADERA Global Pte Ltd

Ms Claire Chiang, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, Banyan Group

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests

 

Introduction

 

1.      It is my pleasure to join you today at the third edition of the Global Leadership Symposium. I would like to thank the Singapore University of Social Sciences, the United Overseas Bank, as well as the Singapore Manufacturing Federation for organising this. This gathering brings together students with fresh ideas, industry leaders with experience, academics with insight, and public sector officers with a sense of service. Together, we represent the many parts of Singapore’s leadership ecosystem, coming together not just for this generation but for the next.

 

2.        This year’s theme on “Global-Ready Leadership” is timely. Our international order is indeed fragmenting – geopolitical contestation is intensifying, and trade barriers and protectionist sanctions, you know the rest. At the same time, we are also seeing AI innovations that are accelerating changes in both life and work. Leaders will have to navigate these profound changes to bring stakeholder together and to adapt to these changes.

 

3.      Today, I want to talk about how all of us can lead in this era of global complexity – whether you are an employer, a student or worker, or a professional in this ecosystem of building human capital.

 

Global-Ready Businesses

 

4.          For businesses, being global-ready begins with investing in your people. In a world of rising geopolitical contestation and rapid AI development, businesses’ competitive edge lies in people who can work seamlessly with machines, apply human judgement where it matters, and read global trends before they hit your bottom line. We also need to move towards a skills-first approach to jobs that focuses on what individuals can do, not just on qualifications alone. Businesses are critical in engendering this shift. We often think of leadership as something that starts from the individual – but leadership is also shaped by organisational cultures, incentives, and practices that clarify priorities for employees.

 

5.          However, we understand that many businesses may not have the time nor the resources to invest in workforce development, and that is why MOM is here to share the load. You can tap on Workforce Singapore or WSG’s Career Conversion Programmes to reskill mid-career workers or existing employees into growth job roles with longer-term prospects, or the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit which offsets up to 90% of your out-of-pocket expenses for sending your workers on SkillsFuture supported courses. We are also making it easier for you to hire individuals with the right skills. Job portals like JobStreet and FastJobs have integrated verified skills data via the Careers and Skills Passport. MyCareersFuture helps you identify candidates whose skillsets match your job requirements and recommends talents that you might find useful in the roles. Ultimately, global-ready businesses start from global-ready teams.

 

Global-Ready Students and Workers

 

6.          As far as workers are concerned – whether you’re just starting out or have some years of working experience – global readiness starts with taking ownership of your career.  The key here is to develop your career health by understanding your strengths and growth areas, clarifying your career goals and actively building skills and networks that open opportunities for you. I encourage you to book a session with certified Career Coaches under the Polaris by WSG scheme, which offers personalised guidance on charting your career journey. over 85% of participants said they gained better clarity and greater confidence in planning their careers after going through Polaris by WSG!

 

7.      For deeper sector insights, WSG's Volunteer Career Advisors initiative connects you directly with industry veterans. These seasoned professionals share sector-specific guidance drawn from decades of real-world experience, helping you navigate complex career transitions and industry challenges with practical wisdom. I think this is a wonderful opportunity, because often when we transit jobs, we want someone there who can understand, guide, and mentor. Increasingly, it is important to do so, as we go through the various global turbulences.

 

8.      For Singaporean professionals aspiring to take on regional and global roles, the next step in your career development could be an overseas posting. We know that venturing overseas can be daunting. That is why MOM is supporting you in three key areas.

 

  1. Firstly, we are enhancing Government programmes to provide more overseas work opportunities, from 400 participants a year to over 700 participants. These include programmes like WSG’s Overseas Markets Immersion Programme, which supports companies to send more of your local new hires or existing employees with little or no overseas experience on work postings to support business growth internationally. This would place local employees in a stronger position to rise through the ranks and take on a broader range of responsibilities in global markets. Singapore’s market is indeed quite small, and it is useful for us to send our talents overseas, to gain exposure from larger countries understand their systems, and more importantly, to then bring it back to Singapore as they take on higher roles.

     

  2. Second, we know that moving overseas and back can be challenging for families, especially with regards to housing and children’s education, and we are helping to ease the transition. HDB provides flexibilities for flat owners who plan to move overseas during their minimum occupation period. MOE has measures to help students reintegrate into the Singapore education system when they return to Singapore.

     

  3. Finally, leaders require resources and mentorship as well. That is why we have the Singapore Leaders Network or SGLN, a leadership community providing networking and mentorship programmes, as well as opportunities to connect with fellow professionals. It underscores how global-ready leadership is not a journey that has to be done alone – you have the strength of a community at your back, ready to support you when you take that first step. It’s a wonderful opportunity where we can see how not just various parts of Singapore, but also the Government coming together, to support people to expand their businesses overseas. I sit on the Economic Strategies Review committee on Entrepreneurship, and I get a lot of feedback from budding entrepreneurs who tell me that the ability to expand the business towards larger revenue streams requires them to be overseas, and the ability to have mentoring and some degree of transition as they do that is indeed very important.

 

Global-Ready Ecosystem

 

9.      Businesses and workers alike benefit from an ecosystem of enablers that drive and support this shift towards active career planning and consistent growing of human capital.

 

  1. HR practitioners are the mobilisers and matchmakers of our labour market. They chart the growth journey for the organisation and its people, and ensure that the right talent and the right role are filled, at the right time.
  2. Other players such as employment agencies, job portal operators, HR consultants and career guidance service providers also augment workforce planning for businesses, including matching workers and employers based on the most relevant skillsets and requirements.
  3. Academics and educators play a vital role in equipping learners not just with knowledge, but with the critical thinking abilities, adaptability and lifelong learning skills that underpin resilience that’s required in an evolving labour market.

 

10.    Therefore it’s really wonderful to see that when all these players come together, the entire ecosystem flourishes – workers find meaningful careers, businesses secure the talent they need, and Singapore remains a hub of global-ready talent pool that is among the best in the world. And amidst a turbulent world, it is important for Singapore to continue to be a point of stability and a place where people go to, not only for business, but also for talent.

 

Conclusion

 

11.    I hope that you will find this useful, and I wish you the very best for the conference ahead. Thank you very much.