A Guide to Trending Job Roles In Singapore In 2021

Though we had to endure one of the worst recessions since independence last year, things are looking up in 2021. For one, vaccines are finally on their way. Governments around the world are getting a better grip on managing the pandemic, too.

These signs point us to a brighter, COVID-free future someday, not just in terms of our physical health, but also the economy’s health! According to MTI, the economy is expected to grow by 4% to 6% this year.

On the jobs front, The Manpower Group reports that the net employment outlook is 15%. Translation: Singapore employers have a strong hiring outlook this year, so dust off your CVs and start penning those cover letters, people! 19% of employers are looking to hire in Q1 2021 (right now!).

As a fresh graduate looking to enter the job market — or even as someone hoping to pivot to a different industry — this is your time to shine. Here are some trending roles that employers are hiring for in 2021. These could be viable options that you can consider as you prepare for your job hunt.

What’s trending now?

Cybersecurity engineering

Cybersecurity risks are on the rise; according to Bromium, global cybercriminal revenues are hitting $1.5 trillion annually. And with that, one key skill that companies are looking for in new hires is cybersecurity expertise.

In the face of the pandemic, companies around the world have accelerated their digitalisation efforts, bringing parts, if not all, of their business online. In 2020, DBS Bank hired around 2,000 new hires (which, by the way, also included fresh graduates!) to support the bank’s digitalisation efforts.

With so much of a company’s information going online, there is a need to protect that information from hackers and other security breaches.

And the demand for cybersecurity engineers is only going to increase as more companies take meetings and physical events to virtual spaces, store their Word Docs on the cloud, and sign up for every remote working tool in the book.

User experience or user interface design

As we move towards a digitally-focused world, companies are looking for more opportunities to beef up their web and mobile platforms.

This means that user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) skills are likely going to become more in demand, especially for roles like product managers. As long as a company has a website, a mobile application, or any other sort of interactive device or platform, you can be sure they’re looking for a good UX or UI designer.

Take GoJek, for example — the company had to deal with 20% of its users dropping off at checkout on GO-FOOD, its food delivery service. The solution? A complete redesign and overhaul to reduce drop-offs!

Thus, without good UX or UI design, how are companies going to compete for their customers’ attention? Taking the business online isn’t as much of a novelty as it used to be, now that everyone’s on the bandwagon.

Data analytics

With more data being collected and stored online by organisations and companies, analytics skills are going to shine, front and centre. After all, simply collecting data is not enough — companies will want to derive meaning from this information, to analyse it and translate them into something that can be used to supercharge their businesses and services.

In other words, data is king — and it’s definitely been a long time coming now (hello 5G!), accelerated only because of the pandemic. So, start looking out for such data analytic roles if you are analytical and have a keen sense of granular statistics!

Cloud and DevOps

Everything’s a-changing, even traditional data infrastructures. According to this Business Times article, over 90% of enterprises in APAC will shift towards a “hybrid cloud” mix for their infrastructures. One example would be UOB, enabled by its hybrid cloud environment to better serve its customers, and also to ensure that no disruptions get in the way of banking services.

The rising trend of cloud technology means that engineering roles relating to this will be in high demand — so keep your eyes peeled.

Social media marketing

In a similar vein to UX and UI design roles, social media marketing is another highly sought-after skill to put on your radar. Being extremely online also guarantees that all eyes are on you (all 3.5 billion pairs of eyes, that is), all the time — and it’s no different for companies and organisations out there.

With increased scrutiny, companies are going to want to tread carefully and will likely prioritise marketing efforts and brand messaging on their social media platforms that fit with what their audience cares about. If you’re keen on social media marketing as a job, maybe it’s time to ride that wave and capitalise on it!

Where to find these trending jobs

So, where can we actually find these trending jobs?

Enter: MyCareersFuture (MCF), the job portal with everything you could ever want or need to aid your job search. With plenty of job postings from different industries to choose from, you can take a quick peek at what local employers are interested in — like specific skill sets and the amount of experience needed to net you an interview.

Say you’ve just graduated with an arts degree and you’re looking to start your career as a UI designer, you can use MCF’s search function and filter for jobs that need UI and UX skills.