The IT job: Demand for digital occupations rises in Singapore

It accounted for an annual average of 11% of total online job positions in Singapore.

Digital occupations represent approximately 11% of total online job positions (OJPs) in Singapore, data from Randstad and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed.

Of the total online tech jobs available in Singapore, nearly half were for software developers with knowledge of Java, middleware and web analytics.

“From mechanics and manufacturing to services and healthcare, the labour market has been permeated by the need for digital products and services, largely driven by access to new technologies and changing consumption behaviours. The rise in demand has created a competitive landscape for software developers, programmers and engineers,” Randstad said.

 Based on the joint report, the number of OJPs for roles such as software developers increased by 410% from 2012 to 94,045 in 2021. Amongst skills which employers look for when hiring software developers are web development, middleware, java, and quality assurance. 

Data mining analysts are also booming, with demand increasing 40-fold between 2012 and 2021. 

The number of OJPs for data mining analysts in Singapore jumped from approximately 300 postings in 2012 to nearly 12,000 in 2021. 

Comparing the numbers in 2020 and 2021, OJPs for these roles nearly doubled from 5,850 to 11,834. 

Cybersecurity professionals also saw rising demand, doubling from 2020 to 2021.

Data from online job postings reveal that organisations in Singapore seek highly-specialised cybersecurity professionals with a strong knowledge of information security and network security, as well as IT management. 

In 2021, there were 3,500 OJPs for cybersecurity professionals, which is twice more than the 1,750 postings made in 2020. 

Another occupation which saw an increase in demand was chief information officer (CIO). 

Demand for CIOs increased by 65%, from 541 positions in 2020 to 892 positions in 2021.