Mr David Chua, Chief Executive Officer, National Youth Council
Ms Althea Lim, Group Chief Executive Officer, Gushcloud International
Good afternoon, I am glad to join you today for the third edition of the NOW 2021 Youth Unconference.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many around the world have faced many challenges. Globally, social, and economic activities have been disrupted unexpectedly. Young adults who are entering the workforce now must adapt to a rapidly changing job market.
The situation in Singapore is no different. Particularly for those who are graduating soon or have recently graduated, I know that some of you are concerned about finding a job in the current climate.
In a poll seeking job seekers’ sentiments at the end of 2020, over 1 in 3 youths felt that there were insufficient job opportunities to pursue interests and passions (41%), insufficient job opportunities for people with their skillsets/qualifications (39%) or for their field of study (33%) .
Other surveys have also shown that overall optimism over sufficiency of opportunities in Singapore to have a good career has waned from 2019 (52%) to 2020 (45%) .
Amidst worries that there are fewer job opportunities, career uncertainty among youths also run high. Over 1 in 2 youths looking for a job (60%), including those currently employed full-time, are anxious about their employment prospects. In particular, a longitudinal study of youths’ pathways into adulthood has shown that youths transitioning into the workforce from school worry about being able to find their desired jobs, with close to 1 in 2 not knowing where to find jobs/internships or fearing that they be unable to get a good job (of those experiencing career uncertainty, 7 in 10 report this as the reason for their concern).
In light of these concerns, 1 in 2 youths (48%) polled in the past year have expressed hope to see more attention being paid to issues relating to jobs and economy in the next year, particularly in the availability and accessibility of developmental opportunities (42%) and openness towards taking different opportunities (41%).
Nevertheless, I am glad that our youths are still hopeful about the future. Despite the challenging COVID-19 climate, many of you still hold aspirations for jobs which provide opportunities for development and stability. In one of the polls mentioned earlier, over 1 in 2 youths reported aspiring towards attaining jobs which offer developmental opportunities (66%), commensurable benefits (54%) and good fit with their qualifications and experience (49%).
Indeed, this pandemic has presented youths with new and unique opportunities, such as upgrading their skillsets and the acceleration of business transformation from increased automation and digitalisation, which could lead to the creation of new jobs and redesign of current jobs and roles. For example, MCCY and NYC launched the YouthTech programme to equip youths with digital skills and deploy them into a wide variety of sectors and industries, including the community and social sectors to support their digitalisation efforts. Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok also provide avenues for entrepreneurial youths to start businesses and build their brands from their homes. To seize these opportunities, youths can work on gaining industry and workplace experiences earlier. You can acquire skills including communications, inter-personal, event planning and management skills, as well as widen your social and professional circles.
I therefore encourage you to embrace the key shifts caused by the pandemic and the general trend of rapid digitalisation and use them to chart your own path as we adapt to the new normal. We should strive to adopt a growth mindset – keep learning to stay relevant and ride these waves of change. Begin by equipping yourselves with the right tools and skill sets to stay competitive.
NOW 2021 is one such platform where you can do so.
Since 2019, Gushcloud and the National Youth Council have worked hand in hand to produce the NOW Youth Unconference. The initiative itself is led by a team of passionate and driven youths, aged between 20 and 28.
For this year’s Unconference, youths like yourselves were consulted to help shape the programme of the event. Using insights from these sessions, the organising team has curated a programme for you to learn, engage and be better equipped for a post-COVID-19 Singapore.
Over the next two days, you will be learning from industry leaders across various sectors in Singapore and around the world. You will be better able to discover your potential and be equipped with the knowledge to work towards your career aspiration.
Among the speakers for this year’s programme are Derek Cheong and Yip Pin Xiu. Derek is the winner of the second season of MasterChef Singapore. He will be conducting a workshop on how food can be a gateway to networking among youths. Pin Xiu is a five-time Paralympics gold medal winner and member of the National Youth Council. She will be sharing her personal experiences as an athlete and some key life lessons she has learned in her journey. These are just two of the many esteemed individuals whom you will have the opportunity to spend time with and learn from.
I encourage you to make the best use of the panel talks, keynote sessions and workshops. Be actively engaged with the various speakers. The NOW 2021 team has worked hard to ensure that the dynamic spirit of an unconference can still translate virtually. So, keep asking questions, participate, and keep an open mind – you never know what new insights and skills you can learn.
In closing, I would like to refer to the theme of the event – “Now’s the time”. There is no time like now to take charge of your future: Continue to develop yourselves in your respective career paths. Be confident in chasing your aspirations. Seize opportunities presented to you today as these are the first steps towards embarking on your future careers.
I wish everyone a fruitful two-day youth unconference.
Thank you.
Source: President’s Office of Singapore