Demand for data scientists in Singapore surged 17 times: LinkedIn

India continues to be a top source of these talents migrating to the city.

The top five emerging jobs in Singapore with the fastest growth rates are data scientist (17.0x), cyber security specialist (5.5x), user experience designer (3.4x), head of digital (3.0x), and content specialist (3.0x), LinkedIn data revealed.

“The top emerging jobs for Singapore are all related to tech, but many of them require management and communication skills making them hybrids of new and traditional roles,” LinkedIn said in a report.

Data scientists are currently the most in demand in Singapore, and India continues to be a top source of talent for contributing 21.95% to those migrating to the city. According to LinkedIn data, five years ago, data scientists worked as researchers, software engineers, research assistants, or pursued PhD degrees.

“The promise of engaging work, and the scope to drill down into interesting data, can be powerful draw cards for curious and intelligent candidates,” LinkedIn said. The firm observed that most data scientists came from the academia, which could pose challenges for HR teams as they ask if candidates are the right fit for meeting the company’s commercial objectives.

Cyber security specialists are also largely in demand as more firms and individuals become increasingly aware of the huge threat that cybercrime and cyber espionage potentially poses. Most of overseas talents for these roles came from India (19.35%) and Australia (12.9%).

Five years ago, these specialists took on the following roles: security specialist, information specialist, information technology security specialist, and security consultant.

User experience designers are also are “breaking out of their tech company silos and spreading across the workforce,” LinkedIn said, thanks to the financial sector’s move towards revamping apps and improving their digital offerings. Some 14.29% of talents migrated from the US.

Five years ago, user experience designers took on the following roles: user interface designer, graphic designer, web designer, and art director.

Meanwhile, people that are currently head of digital were found to be in these jobs five years ago: digital specialist, head of marketing, marketing specialist, and head of information technology. Most heads of digital were sourced from Australia (15.69%), Malaysia (13.73%), Hong Kong (13.73%), the UK (11.76%), and South Africa (9.8%).

Content specialists were previously digital specialists, marketing specialists, content managers, and editors. LinkedIn has observed that Singapore’s emerging content niche can be leveraged and scaled up across Asia – explaining why the role of content specialist is a top emerging job unique to this particular talent market.

“Global businesses with regional headquarters in Singapore require content which can be readily localised for different markets across Asia,” it said.

Much content work is done in English, so whilst content specialist roles are being filled by locals, they are also being snapped up by professionals or international talent from the UK, Australia, and India.