“Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. And Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate. Something interesting is happening.”
Many would have heard of this quote from Tom Goodwin, which made the social media rounds in mid-2015. Just like how the introduction of machines and electricity changed the lives of millions worldwide in the 18th century, the technological revolution that we are in now has affected how we think and operate and will continue to shape our lives for the next few decades.
With COVID-19, the adoption of digital technologies has been further accelerated by several years, with many of these changes expected to have long-lasting impact on businesses. At an individual level, we are now used to working from home, zoom meetings, ordering groceries digitally and conducting online learning sessions with live webinars.
To quote Einstein, “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity”.
Digitalisation is now an unstoppable mega trend and we should consider how we can embrace the trend instead of resisting the changes.
Two areas of growth and opportunities
We have identified two specific areas of growth and opportunities that you can venture into to future proof your career.
1 – Digital Marketing
As customer interactions shift online, the ability of companies to attract and engage their customers digitally is now critical to their success. Digital marketers are now highly sought after for their ability to generate leads and build brand awareness online, allowing companies to reach a much larger audience pool as compared to traditional advertising.
At a junior executive level, digital marketers are responsible for the planning and implementation of digital marketing campaigns for their organizations. This can be done in-house, or in partnership with digital agencies, to achieve specific company objectives like increasing digital sales, lead generation, brand engagement and conversions. Given how broad the field of digital marketing is, many marketers choose to specialise in individual channels, with some examples being SEO specialist, content marketing specialist or social media specialist.
At a managerial or director level, digital marketers manage the overall digital marketing strategy and decide the strategic marketing direction of the organisation.
With a relatively low barrier to entry, almost anyone can be a digital marketer. There are more than 300 SkillsFuture courses available on topics related to Digital Marketing. In addition, the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for Digital Marketing Specialist also provides 6 months of structured training, comprising of classroom and on-the-job training for mid-career switchers interested to embark on a career as a Digital Marketing Specialist.
A search for ‘Digital Marketing’ on MyCareersFuture job portal yielded over 1,000 job openings, with over 100 of the jobs eligible for government support schemes. Use the hashtag #SGUP to filter for these jobs, or select the ‘Government Support’ filter using the left sidebar. The most pertinent information for each posting is displayed in the results summary, allowing job seekers to decide if they are interested in the posting at one glance.
From Payscale.com, it is apparent that while the starting renumeration for digital marketing executives in Singapore might not be the highest (S$36k – S$40k / annum), renumeration increases sharply along with position and years of experience, with marketing managers and directors able to command close to S$100k / annum.
The Ministry of Manpower’s Jobs Situation Report (7th Edition) highlighted the strong demand for Advertising and Marketing roles due to the accelerated pace of digitalisation. We believe that this demand will provide non-marketers who are interested in a career in digital marketing ample opportunities to venture into this space.
2 – Technology Roles
With lockdown and social distancing measures, traditional ways of conducting businesses may not be viable, and businesses have evolved accordingly. Property agents are conducting virtual home viewings. Financial advisors are meeting clients and closing deals via zoom and phone calls. B2B partnerships are also being negotiated over zoom meetings. Many transactions can now be completed using mobile apps.
Gone are the days where we have to print, sign, scan and post an application form. Companies that still insist on the traditional way of operating and engaging their customers will find themselves facing greater customer resistance and the threat of becoming obsolete.
To support this shift, companies have to digitise core processes and systems, with major focus placed on data, cloud and security expertise.
To put it very simply, cloud computing is integral to digital transformation as it allows companies to scale rapidly at low cost based on needs, without the need to maintain complicated IT infrastructure. This article on Vulcan Post provides a very good summary on the impact of the cloud on digital transformation.
With digitalisation, it is now much easier to collect data and insights on customers and how they behave online. Businesses are now making use of such insights to drive decision making to improve revenue.
Finally, amid the changing technological landscape, organisations have to ensure that cybersecurity measures are in place to protect sensitive business and personal data from more and more sophisticated attacks.
In the 14th edition of the Jobs Situation Report, the Ministry of Manpower reported more than 12,000 job openings in the Infocomm Technology sector as of November 2020, with 95% in PMET roles such as Software, Web and Application Developers as well as Network Engineers. More than 7,000 job seekers have also been placed under the SGUnited Jobs & Skills Package, with ICT being the sector with the highest placement.
With digital transformation being mission critical, demand for employees with these specific skill-sets is sky-high, with the average remuneration increase for potential new hires in the technology sector expected at 15-20% in 2021.
A quick search using MyCareersFuture for jobs related to “Data” turned up over 12,000 postings, while over 3000 job postings are available for jobs related to “Cloud”, showing the scarcity and massive demand for tech talents.
Not everyone would have studied computer science or other related disciplines in school. What are your options if you do not have the relevant background but you are still interested in a ‘tech’ career?
You can explore the SGUnited Mid-career pathways programme, which has several IT related training programmes, or check out over 5,500 Infocomm and communications related courses available under SkillsFuture Credit. There are also over 20 Professional Conversion Programmes in the Infocomm Technology Sector available for interested parties to apply for. With the right mindset, support and training, the opportunities for career growth and progression in the technology industry is immense and should not be overlooked.
The best career move you can make in 2021
COVID-19 has highlighted the urgent need for companies to digitalise, opening up opportunities for individuals to explore alternative career pathways that are a result of the changing business landscape.
As what Minister Chan had said “Singapore must act now to digitalise or risk losing (the) edge”, and this applies to both individuals as well as businesses. We have to take action now, for a better future.
This is a sponsored post by MyCareersFuture – a job portal developed by Workforce Singapore (WSG) in partnership with Government Technology Agency