Opening Remarks at IHRP People Behind People Forum 2025
Minister Dr Tan See Leng, Sands Convention Centre
IHRP Chairperson Mrs Deborah Ong
IHRP CEO Mr Aslam Sardar
NTUC Sec-Gen Brother Chee Meng
Distinguished Guests
1. Good morning.
2. It is wonderful to be back at the People Behind People Forum. When I last spoke at this forum in 2023, IHRP had around 7,000 members. Today, the community is nearly 10,000 strong, kudos to you, well done. This growth reflects the rising importance of human capital, and how HR professionals are increasingly recognised as the architects of people, our most valuable asset.
3. To all of our HR professionals here today, thank you. You are the ones who build careers, shape cultures and champion human potential. You truly are the heroes, truly the ‘people behind people’.
4. Today, our businesses and workers face rapid change. From AI to profound demographic shifts in Singapore and around the world, these forces are not just reshaping work, but pushing significant changes and disruptions. Many workers feel uncertain about their skills, their jobs, and their futures.
5. In this context, your work is more critical than ever. HR must elevate its role to shape workplaces and the workforce to be ready for the brave new world ahead.
Amplifying Human Potential
6. As PM Wong said at the opening of Parliament last month, our national mission is to help every Singaporean realise their full potential. I am excited to see how this aligns perfectly with today’s theme of “Amplifying Human Potential”.
7. At the Ministry of Manpower, we see ourselves as part of the same community. Our role is to help both businesses and workers seize opportunities and build resilient, sustainable, long-term careers.
8. One key initiative is Career Health SG. Through better insights, guidance, and employment matching, workers are empowered to take charge of their careers.
9. But Career Health can also be forged in workplaces. Employers – supported by HR professionals – play a vital role in creating opportunities for growth and progress. In turn, they grow skilled, high-performing, and committed workforces that drive business success.
10. This is why we formed the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development (TWG-HC) earlier this year. Over the past months, the workgroup has been exploring ways to level up human capital capabilities across the economy. One key question they have been working to answer is – how do we measure the impact of human capital management practices on businesses and their workforce?
The Singapore Opportunity Index: Setting Opportunity in Motion
11. Today, I am happy to share their first recommendation – the establishment of an inaugural Singapore Opportunity Index. This initiative is a partnership between MOM, the Singapore University of Social Sciences and the Burning Glass Institute, an independent think tank. The Burning Glass Institute also developed the American Opportunity Index and the British Opportunity Index which inspired us to create our own Singapore’s version.
12. The Singapore Opportunity Index is the first of its kind in Singapore. It draws on millions of real career histories from Government data to understand how employers shape outcomes like pay, career progression, and retention. To be clear, the Index is not intended as a ranking exercise. Instead, it serves as a common yardstick to help employers and workers understand organisations’ impact on our workforce to support decision making. This offers consistent and objective data comparable with peers – all at no cost to your business. It also serves as a recognition and learning platform. From early 2026, we will feature exemplary employers with different models of excellence on a public website and concrete learning examples of companies that turn jobs into long-term careers. The purpose of this is to share global best practices, first within our country, and eventually understanding how we are benchmarked against the best companies in the world.
13. The initial findings from the project make it clear that employers play a powerful role in shaping careers. Even against the same market forces, deliberate and strategic choices by the employers in hiring, developing and managing their people can lead to different outcomes in career mobility. Comparing firms at the extreme ends, workers at companies in the top 20% are 2.2 times more likely to stay past their first year, earn 3.4 times more, and have 86% chance of getting a higher wage in their next role.
14. We also saw that opportunity is not limited by industry or size. We found top-performing employers in every industry sector, from construction to financial services, to food and beverage. We also found them in both SMEs and MNCs. What sets them apart is not their sector or size, but a strong commitment to good human capital practices.
15. While top employers share the same commitment to people, they create opportunities in different ways. Some act as Career Launchers – opening doors to overlooked talent and offering opportunities to candidates based on skills rather than qualifications. They help people make a strong start or re-entry into the workforce by removing unnecessary entry hurdles. Others are Career Builders – nurturing talent through structured pathways. They invest in their people, they promote employees and develop leaders from within. A number serve as Career Anchors – they strengthen their workforce through stable, long-term employment and build a prevailing culture of trust. Such firms do well in retaining workers through a culture of trust and recognition.
16. These insights confirm a fundamental principle: good human capital management is excellent business. We are happy to have the Burning Glass Institute here to share deeper insights during their keynote later.
17. I also encourage you to visit our website www.singaporeopportunityindex.sg to explore more, and subscribe to updates.
Building our HR Toolkit
18. Beyond showing you what is possible with the Singapore Opportunity Index, we also want to equip you with the tools to put these insights into action.
19. This is where IHRP is stepping up. In support of the Career Health SG, IHRP is launching new resources to help HR leaders Assess, Chart, and Execute your human capital strategy. The new Career Health resource hub which IHRP is launching today, in collaboration with SkillsFuture Singapore, will provide HR professionals with tailored guidance and resources to execute skills-first transformation.
20. IHRP is also rolling out three practical tools to support the execution of workforce transformation. First, coming in January next year, a HR Guidebook on “Improving Workforce Agility and Retention”. This will offer concrete strategies and recommendations on technology solutions to help businesses develop an internal talent marketplace, boost agility, and helps keep your best people. Second, a Job Redesign Evaluation Tool, or JRET, developed by IHRP in partnership with Workforce Singapore. This five-step tool helps organisations assess readiness, prioritise job roles, and measure the impact on job value before and after job redesign. I hope all of you can join the track in the afternoon segment of the forum to hear more. Third, a new role badge in behavioural science IHRP developed with Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s new Centre for Behaviour and Nudge Design. The new Centre leverages psychology and AI to influence positive workplace behaviours. I was told that their AI-enabled behavioural insights coach “Abbi” is here today. I encourage you to seek Abbi’s advice on how you could “nudge” your colleagues towards positive change.
Elevating the HR Profession
21. Before I conclude my speech, please allow me to do a quick sales pitch. As HR professionals, you must also invest in your own career health and skills. And there is no better way than to join the IHRP-certified HR community. MOM earlier announced an additional $100 subsidy for HR certification as part of an early support package of the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce (SERT). It is available only until 30 September 2026. I strongly recommend that all HR professionals seize this time-limited offer to upskill and take ownership of your professional development.
22. To help HR professionals stay updated on the evolving skill requirements, MOM, WSG, and IHRP will also be refreshing the HR Jobs Transformation Map.
Please look out for it next year.
Conclusion
23. Finally, let me end my speech with a saying I have heard: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”.
24. All of you here are the best in your fields. As HR professionals, you can shape both preparation and opportunity through who you hire, how you develop them, and establish pathways to give them a fair chance to grow. The tools and insights shared today are meant to support that work. And real change can happen when you apply them.
25. So, take one idea back with you today. Try something new in your organisation. And continue to invest in your own growth, just as you invest in others. Maybe that one small step is to sign up for IHRP certification.
26. When we do that, we don’t just talk about potential. We bring it to life.
27. Thank you and I wish everyone a fruitful and inspiring forum.