Globally, the workforce is growing. In fact, the number of women working or looking for work between the ages of 15 and 64 has increased globally in the last five years.

Despite this growth, employers around the world have reported a skill shortage in various industries. According to the Hayes Global Skills Index, even though skilled migration is at an all-time high, digitization raises the question of who will do tomorrow's work and what it will look like.

In the next couple of decades, roughly half of all jobs will be at risk of automation, especially in areas such as transportation and logistics, office and administrative support, and manufacturing.

As Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things become commonplace in the professional environment, it is important that people have the skills to respond to these changes in a positive and productive way.

With such a significant gap in the modern workforce, the Singapore government is taking steps to address this growing skills shortage by combining education and business to cultivate future employees.

Skills Future is committed to providing the people of Singapore with the best possible career opportunities. This national movement works to give businesses and individuals the option to consistently maximize their potential, regardless of their current knowledge base or starting point.

SkillsFuture believes that the skills, passion and contribution of each individual will lead Singapore to the next stage of development towards a developed and prosperous economy and a comprehensive and forward-thinking society.

SkillsFuture offers a variety of programs not only for professionals at all stages of their careers, but also for employers and trainers, and its e-service also helps people adopt a lifelong learning mindset.

For business leaders and managers, it is really important to constantly upgrade and upskill. This is because the business environment is volatile as well as dynamic and leaders need to be prepared to strategize and implement according to the market environment.

Thus, major recruiters in the company such as the Achieve Group are supporting the SkillsFuture initiative by focusing on upskilling of the workforce to create new-age employees. The company works with new job seekers as well as existing employees, offering them courses and training, for relevant certifications and skills.

The SkillsFuture Credit initiative provides opening credits of five hundred dollars for people of Singapore and permanent residents aged 25 and above. This credit does not expire and can be used at any time and the government also offers regular add-ons to these credits to help busy lifelong students raise more funds to further their education.

The program was initially launched in 2015 and in 2016; one-hundred and twenty-six thousand Singaporeans used their SkillFuture Credit to enhance their digital careers.

In the inaugural year of the program, more than thirty-four percent of applicants used the program more than once. Thus, it is clear that the SkillsFuture learning model is fostering positive outcomes, and the more people use this scheme, the stronger the digital nation of Singapore will be.