Singapore is consistently acknowledged to be a global business hub with its developed infrastructure, political stability and open business policies. It has also been rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world, accommodating thousands of foreign expatriates working in multi-national corporations. The strategy undertaken by Singapore involves its skilled and talented manpower, serving to support economic growth both in
established sectors like electronics and finance, as well as emerging sectors like Info-communications & Digital Media.
After consulting with various government agencies and industry groups, the Ministry of Manpower has drawn up a Strategic Skills List, a listing of the skills and occupations strategic to key industry sectors. Employment Pass/S Pass applicants possessing such skills will be accorded added consideration.
Job hunters will find this list helpful in their career planning. MOM will regularly update the Strategic Skills List to take into account broader labour market trends and information. For now, there are 8 key industries which are given primary focus, plus a few others.
Biomedical Industry
Home to a growing number of leading biomedical companies and world-class research institutions like A*STAR, Genome Institute of Singapore, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore is fast becoming one of the most exciting hubs for biomedical sciences in Asia. Medical Technology companies also undertake the latest manufacturing activities in Singapore such as implantable devices and sophisticated research instrumentations.
Strategic Skills List:
Chemist
Production Engineer
Quality Assurance Engineer
Quality Controller / Quality Control Engineer
Chemicals Industry
Chemicals Industry is a key pillar of Singapore’s manufacturing industry. At the upstream, Singapore's Energy & Chemicals industry is characterized mainly by oilfield equipment manufacturing, offshore engineering services and support services for offshore field development & operations. World's leading petroleum and petrochemicals and specialty chemicals giants, includes Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Mitsui Chemicals, Degussa and Akzo Nobel
Strategic Skills List:
Chemical/Process Engineer
Chemist
Instrument Engineer
Process Control Engineer
Electronics Industry
Electronics & Precision Engineering are the most established industries in Singapore. They are the key contributors of the Singapore Technology sector. With some of the best names on board, the industry has achieved international recognition for manufacturing, assembly, testing, design and R&D. The continual investment flow has infused fresh vigor in the industry, putting Singapore at the cutting edge of development in electronics. Some major companies in this industry include Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Infineon Technologies, and Solectron Technology.
Strategic Skills List:
IC Designer
Media Engineer
Wafer Fabrication Engineer
Engineering & Environmental Services Industry
Singapore acts as a base to many top companies in the areas of Project & Engineering Management, Process Control & Equipment and Testing & Certification Services. These companies engage in a wide range of activities in Singapore such as headquarters, manufacturing and R&D operations. Companies in Singapore that has established in this field are Rockwell Automation and Defense Science and Technology Agency.
Strategic Skills List:
Environmental Engineer
Instrument Engineer
Materials Engineer
Planning Engineer
Process Engineer
Process Control Engineer
Project Engineer/Manager
Research Scientist
Financial Services Industry
Singapore has a strong reputation as a leading financial centre, globally and especially in Asia. Many of the world's largest and most trustworthy financial institutions have operations in Singapore. A few of their services comprises trade financing, foreign exchange, derivatives products and loan syndication. Some major companies in this industry are American International Assurance (AIA) Co Ltd Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Credit Suisse and DBS.
Strategic Skills List:
Asset Securitisation Structurer
Compliance Officer
IT Development Officer
Operations Officer
Private Banker
Product Controllers/
Healthcare Industry
Singapore is a leading medical tourism destination and a growing global centre for medical research and education. The growth in the healthcare sector presents tremendous opportunities for medical professionals to explore the varied fields of healthcare delivery and service, teaching and medical research. Major employers are Ministry of Health Holdings, SingHealth Services, National Healthcare Group, Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Centre.
Strategic Skills List:
• Auditory Verbal Therapist
• Clinical Audiologist
• Clinical Laboratory Technician/Medical Technologist
• Doctor (Specialties in demand include Pathology, Renal Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Geriatric Medicine)
• Dietician
• Advanced Practice Nurse, Nurse Clinician, Nurse Manager, Nurse Educator
• Occupational Therapist
• Pharmacist
• Physiotherapist
• Podiatrist
• Radiographer
• Radiation Therapist
• Respiratory Therapist Speech
• Speech Therapist
Info-communications & Digital Media
Today, many top technology companies including Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft have made Singapore a key node in their global network, a strong testament of the country’s strategic position to be a global info-communication hub. In addition, Singapore is also home to many international telecom service providers, network equipment providers, mobile device players, application and content developers, and mobile internet developers, creating an extensive mobile communications ecosystem.
Strategic Skills List:
• Applications Developer
• Animator
• Computer Graphics Artist
• Game Designer
• Game Developer
• Game Programmer
• Interactive and Digital Media Producer/Production Manager
• Network Engineer/Analyst/
• Radio Frequency Engineer
• Solutions Architect
Maritime/Marine & Offshore
Singapore is strategically located at the confluence of the world's key shipping and trading routes. As a gateway to Asia, Singapore offers abundant advantages to the global maritime industry. Global leader in building jack-up rigs and offshore platforms, Singapore is established globally as one of the world's top ship repair and conversion centers. Some major companies in this industry are PSA, NOL, Maersk, Keppel Offshore & Marine, Sembcorp Marine, ST Marine.
Strategic Skills List:
• Designer Engineer
• Geologist
• Geophysicist
• Geoscientist
• Marine Engineer
• Naval Architect
• Petroleum Engineer
• Process Engineer
• Project Manager
• Reservoir Engineer
• Well Engineer
Some of the skills that falls in the Others category are:
Creative Director
Embedded System Engineer
Nano-Engineer
Rearch & Development Engineer
Software Engineer
Research Scientists and Engineers/Post-
Research Scientists and Engineers/Post-
Systems Engineer
This brief review is aimed at giving potential employees a fair idea of where they stand with regard to their professional credibility and expertise. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will give due consideration to applicants who possess any of these skills and wish to gain employment in Singapore. Clients who wish to setup their company and apply for their Work Pass can visit for or http://www.rikvinsingapore.com or for Company Incorporation http://www.rikvin.com



