55 K new tech-specific job vacancies projected for Singapore by 2028: ServiceNow

ServiceNow, the AI platform for business transformation, has announced a national academic partnership with Republic Polytechnic - the youngest of Singapore’s five polytechnics - to provide hundreds of early in career and lifelong learners further access to dynamic and emerging AI and cloud computing roles.

The news comes as ServiceNow launches its inaugural National Skills research with Pearson*, finding that 15% of the new jobs created in Singapore will need people with AI and emerging technologies skills. Some 361,000 new jobs will arrive in Singapore by 2028 – more than 55,000 in technology-specific roles, the company said. The ICT, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services industries will experience the greatest national jobs boost.

The research also found that jobs in Singapore will benefit from the biggest time savings by using AI at work, compared to other countries globally.

“Jobs in Singapore can look to save up to 14 hours a week, with local-based roles such as system administrators, developers, business process analysts, architects and implementation consultants all set to receive a greater time boost when compared to equivalent jobs overseas,” said Wee Luen Chia, MD and Group VP, ServiceNow Asia. 

“Everyone can find valuable time savings by putting AI to work, every day. The national productivity gains this will deliver to business, government agencies and the economy is unparallelled. Not to mention the freedom this delivers to people to focus on innovating, growing business and furthering their skills.”

As AI adoption accelerates, Singapore’s labour market will continue to evolve. ServiceNow and Pearson’s research reveals that jobs growth within the next five years is expected to be greatest in the telecommunications, media and technology sector (33,400 new jobs expected), but will also be high for financial services (29,300) and healthcare (15,600).

>Technology careers are now pervasive and cross-industry; ServiceNow expects to create 55,000 new roles in Singapore. Jobs like computer and information systems managers, software application developers, and data analysts are expected to see significant growth.

Meanwhile, more than 2,200 new technical project managers will be required by companies who are investing in new technologies and systems upgrades, necessitating expertise in project management. An estimated 1,500 new application developers will play a vital role in strengthening Singapore’s digital core and delivering new services to Singapore citizens, ServiceNow added.

Republic Polytechnic and ServiceNow will help to prepare skilled people for such jobs through their first collaborative course in October, through the Diploma in Enterprise Cloud Computing & Management and Diploma in Information Technology. These programmes will equip students with the skills and credentials to pursue high-demand careers in fields such as development, digital project management and business digitalisation, ServiceNow said.

"As we embrace Singapore’s Smart Nation vision, we are excited to collaborate with world-class AI partners like ServiceNow to offer accessible, high-quality, and industry-recognised skills. Through this collaboration, we aim to equip Singaporeans with job-ready skills that align with in-demand roles across the nation. 

"Our courses will open doors for students to access different tech career opportunities across various industries, laying a strong foundation for a successful digital career," said Wai Ling Wong, Director, School of Infocomm, Republic Polytechnic.

The partnership builds on ServiceNow’s existing skilling commitments with customers, partners and government agencies, including NTUC LearningHub, VITAL Shared Services, Synapxe – Singapore's healthtech agency, GovTech, Accenture, Fujitsu, Enable - a Fujitsu company, as well as NCS and Tata Consultancy Services, to train employees or skill individuals on ServiceNow's Platform.

ServiceNow has trained 1,900 Singaporeans on the company’s AI platform within the last 12 months, with more than 600 free courses and 18-job related certification paths available. Vivek Anand is one such beneficiary. He started his career as a developer, moving into a consultant role and is now leading a growing team as a Principal Consultant at Fujitsu.

He completed two courses with ServiceNow to sharpen his expertise in emerging technology areas and build confidence to inform business leaders of the value from digital transformation. Anand completed his first course in 2022 and the second in January 2024 – which have increased salary potential and, more importantly in his words, unlocked future career opportunities.

“When you think of caring for your career, it’s similar to how you seed a tree to grow and bear fruits. My career has been a constant, fulfilling process of lifelong learning and continuous growth,” he said.

“With my company, Fujitsu, investing in additional skilling programmes with ServiceNow, I was able to travel overseas and spend a week in-person with 30 brilliant, likeminded people spearheading their organisation’s digital journeys. Together, we learnt complex problem-solving skills, leveraging our foundation in analytics to develop and deliver better digital services to end-users and consumers.”

Source: ServiceNow Impact AI landing page. The net change in tech worker headcount is expected to result in 204 K tech workers in Singapore by 2028. Jobs added refers to the additional jobs required to implement and maintain emerging technologies. Economic impact refers to the additional headcount needed to achieve expected economic growth. In Japan, net change was estimated to be an additional 527 K, in Australia, 133 K more, and in India, 2 M more.

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Read about the National Skills research at https://www.servicenow.com/workflow/hyperautomation-low-code/workforce-skills-forecast.html

*The research includes US, Canada, Germany, India, UK, Australia, and Japan. Comparisons based on maximum tech adoption within IT organisations.

Faethm by Pearson's Labour Market Insights (LMI) modelling predicts how jobs and industries will change over the next one to 15 years, considering the impact of emerging technologies and economic trends, assuming moderate technology adoption and expected future economic trends, including population growth. For Singapore, the baseline of the country’s labour market is sourced from multiple Ministry of Manpower files, including labour force survey data; economic growth projections are from the International Monetary Fund.

By analysing current time spent on tasks within jobs, the model identifies how emerging technologies can assist or complete these tasks, allowing humans to focus on higher value tasks. Each of the 80,000 tasks in Pearson’s ontology is assigned the most likely emerging technology to impact it, with the degree of impact varying by role, industry, and country. Combining these factors, the model provides insights into the shift at the task, job, and industry levels, offering a comprehensive view of the economy.