Transferable skills training is key as Singapore's healthcare sector grapples with manpower shortage

• Nearly nine in ten healthcare leaders (31% strongly agree, 59% somewhat agree) agree there is a shortage of healthcare professionals in Singapore, citing the provision of more competitive salary and benefit packages (57%), promoting preventive healthcare (41%), streamlining shift schedules (37%), adopting technology to lighten administrative tasks (36%), and providing continuous training opportunities (35%) as the top five ways to support healthcare professionals.
• Although many leaders agree there are sufficient opportunities for career advancement (66%), and ease for healthcare workers to switch roles or career paths within the sector (75%), they highlight challenges in transitioning careers such as the need for additional retraining (62%) and not possessing enough transferable skills (49%).
• Healthcare leaders cite effective client communication (44%), data analytics (42%), and service excellence (33%) as the top training areas they are keen to enrol employees for. However, staff shortage and high workload (71%), lack of incentives to upskill (59%), and difficulty in coordinating large-scale training due to shift work (40%), are the top barriers to sending employees for training.
• About four in five (81%) healthcare leaders are looking to hire talent where healthcare assistants (35%), logistics or operations (27%), and community care service workers (17%) are the top three job roles sought after. Additionally, almost nine in ten (86%) are likely to hire those with industry-recognised certifications, despite a lack of experience.

SINGAPORE, May 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The rapidly ageing population contributes to a surge in the demand for healthcare services. However, there is a shortage of healthcare professionals in Singapore as corroborated by nearly nine in ten (31% strongly agree, 59% somewhat agree) healthcare leaders. These leaders voice the provision of more competitive salary and benefit packages (57%), promoting preventive healthcare (41%), streamlining shift schedules (37%), adopting technology to lighten administrative tasks (36%), and providing continuous training opportunities (35%) as the top five ways to support healthcare professionals amid the evolving demands in the sector. 

In light of advocating for more competitive salary and benefit packages, two-thirds of healthcare leaders agree (66%) that there are sufficient opportunities for career advancement, and three-quarters agree (75%) that it is easy for healthcare workers to switch roles or career paths within the sector. Despite that, they highlight the challenges faced in transitioning careers within the sector, such as the need for additional retraining (62%) and not possessing enough transferable skills (49%).

Therefore, all healthcare leaders agree (41% strongly agree, 59% somewhat agree) that it is important to have ongoing learning and skills development opportunities for career mobility in the sector. However, challenges remain as staff shortage and high workload (71%), lack of incentives to upskill (59%), and difficulty in coordinating large-scale training due to shift work (40%), are the top three barriers to sending employees for training.

These are some of the key findings from NTUC LearningHub's recently launched Industry Insights Report 2024 on Healthcare, which explores the current landscape of the healthcare sector, including challenges, training gaps, hiring sentiments, and in-demand skills. Based on a survey of 150 healthcare leaders, and interviews with industry experts, the report also uncovers the transferability of skills for individuals across different roles within the sector.

According to healthcare leaders, effective client communication (44%), data analytics (42%), and service excellence (33%) are the top training areas they are keen to enrol employees for. They also list adaptability (63%), problem-solving (61%), communication (59%), learning agility (55%), and customer orientation (55%) as the top critical core skills or soft skills for healthcare workers to possess.

In addition, about four in five (81%) healthcare leaders are looking to hire talent where healthcare assistants (35%), logistics or operations (27%), and community care service workers (17%) are the top three job roles sought after. Moreover, almost nine in ten (86%) are likely to hire those with industry-recognised certifications, despite a lack of experience.

Healthcare leaders also believe technology can help alleviate on-site workload through leveraging telemedicine services (64%), automating/streamlining operational and logistical processes (63%), and expediting treatment for patients through quicker and more precise diagnosis (58%). These benefits are in addition to enhancing access and ensuring data consistency through centralised patient health records (62%) and enabling access for immobile patients through telemedicine services (55%).

Commenting on the report findings, Tay Ee Learn, NTUC LearningHub's Chief Sector Skills Officer, says, "The manpower crunch is driven by an ageing population and the rising demand for health and community care services. This underscores the need for a highly skilled and digitally empowered workforce, especially given the digital transformation of the sector. Thus, a holistic skill set encompassing both technical and transferable competencies, particularly critical core or soft skills, and tech-lite skills are vital in facilitating optimal care for patients while keeping healthcare professionals nimble. In order to bridge the manpower gap, employers must therefore champion the long-term employability of their workforce and prioritise their ongoing learning and skills development through industry-recognised professional certifications that allow healthcare workers to take on in-demand roles in this growing sector.

To download the Industry Insights Report 2024 on Healthcare, please visit https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/media/research-reports/2024/Healthcare. To find out more about the courses, training, and grants, please contact NTUC LearningHub at www.ntuclearninghub.com.

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About NTUC LearningHub

NTUC LearningHub is the leading Continuing Education and Training provider in Singapore which aims to transform the lifelong employability of working people. Since our corporatization in 2004, we have been working with employers and individual learners to provide learning solutions in areas such as Cloud, Infocomm Technology, Healthcare, Employability & Literacy, Business Excellence, Workplace Safety & Health, Security, Human Resources and Foreign Worker Training.

To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 29,000 organisations and achieved more than 2.6 million training places across more than 2,900 courses with a pool of about 900 certified trainers. As a Total Learning Solutions provider to organisations, we also forge partnerships to offer a wide range of relevant end-to-end training. Besides in-person training, we also offer instructor-led virtual live classes (VLCs) and asynchronous online learning. The NTUC LearningHub Learning eXperience Platform (LXP) — a one-stop online learning mobile application — offers timely, bite-sized and quality content for learners to upskill anytime and anywhere. Beyond learning, LXP also serves as a platform for jobs and skills development for both workers and companies.

For more information, visit www.ntuclearninghub.com.

SOURCE NTUC LearningHub