New Career Health SG initiative launched to support both S'pore workers and employers

Straits Times

10-07-2025

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Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said he hopes people will actively manage their career health, just like their physical health.
SINGAPORE – A new national initiative, Career Health SG, was launched on July 10 to support workers in accessing the right mix of training and on-the-job learning, so they can make informed and decisive career moves aligned with their aspirations.
A new one-stop website, also called Career Health SG, was also unveiled. It offers both workers and employers an overview of the available support measures that can help them with career and workforce planning.
The initiative was announced by Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng during the inaugural Career Health Summit 2025 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, attended by more than 500 business leaders and human resources practitioners.
The two-day summit, jointly organised by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Singapore Business Federation, seeks to have employers and experts exchange ideas on building a workforce that stays strong amid uncertainty.
Dr Tan said employers play a vital role in building a healthier workforce, as they are best placed to identify the skills that warrant investment through employee training.
He also called for employers to move to a skills-first approach in recognising and deploying talent, rather than fixating on formal qualifications.
'This will allow businesses to unlock even wider talent pools to stay ahead of the competition.'
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A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) study found employers who embraced skills-first practices saw faster hiring, more diverse hires and improved employee performance, he added.
He also said employers who wished to invest in workers' career health but did not know how to start by following these three steps.
First, assess skills gaps or jobs at risk. Next, chart a plan to help uplift workers' skills, and then execute the plan through structured progression pathways and skills-first approaches, he added.
Dr Tan said MOM will introduce more resources to help employers assess the skills readiness of their workforce, identify suitable training interventions, as well as opportunities for job redesign to optimise the skills of their employees later in 2025.
Meanwhile, workers will get to connect with career coaches under WSG's career coaching programme Polaris to chart their career journey, and find out more about schemes that can help them overhaul their skill sets.
Dr Tan, a trained medical doctor, said: 'Ultimately, my vision is for career health to be the new normal – it should be as central to our entire career journey, our lives and businesses as physical health is.
'Something that is readily discussed and actively managed by all.'
The new Career Health SG website can be found at
www.careerhealth.sg
WSG chief executive Dilys Boey told The Straits Times the new initiative goes beyond merely aggregating existing schemes via the website.
She said the goal is to drive a cultural shift, where employers transform their business operations and workforce, and workers take ownership of their careers.
New digital tools will also be launched under the Career Health SG banner in the near future, including one that helps employers take stock of the skills their workers possess, she added.
One employer on board with the initiative is home-grown in-flight caterer Sats.
Chief human capital officer Tan Chee Wei told reporters it is important to create fulfilling jobs with tasks that workers find meaningful, and help them discover a greater purpose, such as contributing to Singapore's status as a leading air hub.
In a keynote address, Harvard Business School professor Joseph Fuller, who studies workforce transformation, spoke about the importance for businesses to help their workers ensure their career health.
He said data out of the US shows that on average, 41 per cent of an average person's work will be displaced by artificial intelligence.
Data also shows that employers are looking for a more diverse skill set when hiring for roles that are more affected by AI, and this underscores the need for employers to support worker training.
Prof Fuller told ST that Career Health SG and related measures in Singapore are 'easily the most sophisticated, ambitious national intervention that I am familiar with in this area'.
The sophistication lies in not just providing employer incentives, but helping workers understand what skills are needed for their desired jobs, as well as supporting career shifts for the employed rather than just those who are out of jobs.
But Prof Fuller noted that employers, especially smaller ones, may remain cautious about diverting scarce resources away from daily operations.
Both employers and workers also do not always act in their self-interest, he said.
People 'often assume that (continuing) what they do now has no cost and doing something additional has a cost, and so they are inclined to try to avoid the added cost', he added.