On the sidelines of a public dialogue to gather views ahead of Budget 2019, Second Minister for Finance Indranee Rajah stated yesterday that with trade tensions looming as the region grows, jobs are among Singaporeans' main concerns.

Indranee added, “Older workers, in particular, would want to know how they can be supported, either to access new jobs, or to prepare themselves to be able to do the same jobs in a different way.”

The concern is mounting as technology continues to change the workplace. As per Indranee, the answer to this problem is not just helping workers to upskill but also encouraging innovation and supporting companies in accessing opportunities in this region.

Incidentally, innovation, and how the government can give this a boost, was also one of the five themes discussed during yesterday's dialogue at the Asian Civilizations Museum. The other themes included aging, healthcare and support for families, such as those from lower-income or vulnerable groups. Ms Indranee stressed that the government remains committed to bridging inequality gaps.

The minister’s statements are not far off from reality staring in the face of ASEAN region. As per the estimates of the International Labour Organisation, ASEAN will record the second-largest growth in labor force worldwide between now and 2030 (behind only India); another 59 million people are projected to enter its workforce by 2030. ASEAN would continue to represent the third-largest labor force worldwide, behind only China and India, accounting for a total of 10 percent of the global labor force by 2030.  Interestingly, Singapore is projected to be in need of more foreign workers to maintain the country’s economic rise. But that is if job creation and skill level maintain pace with the demographic expansion.

On the positive side, as per German relocation company, Movinga which conducted a research recently to study 100 cities across the based on how they fare when it comes to the job market, Singapore scored 7th out of the 100 countries surveyed.