Clean energy workforce expected to increase by 60%, or 1,000 workers, in the next decade

SINGAPORE – The workforce in the clean energy sector is expected to grow by 60 per cent – or about 1,000 workers – in the next 10 years, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang on Oct 31.

This growth is expected to be driven by jobs in solar, energy storage systems and low-carbon electricity imports as

Singapore commits to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050

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The nation’s power sector accounts for about 40 per cent of emissions and efforts are under way to reduce the carbon footprint of this sector, such as by increasing solar capacity and importing clean electricity, among other things.

Speaking on the final day of the Singapore International Energy Week conference, Ms Gan said the power sector is expected to continue expanding and hiring in the coming decade.

“We are pivoting towards cleaner energy sources and we will need more people with new skills,” she explained.

This includes jobs such as solar panel design and asset performance engineers, and specialists working on the design, operation and maintenance of subsea interconnectors.

Nascent areas such as carbon capture and storage will present more opportunities, she said.

The data came from manpower and workforce planning surveys commissioned by the Energy Market Authority (EMA).

Currently, Singapore’s power sector is dependent largely on natural gas, a fossil fuel, which is mainly piped in from its neighbours or imported from all over the world in liquefied form.

As work is under way to explore cleaner energy forms, the Government has said that natural gas will continue to be a core part of Singapore’s energy mix.

EMA said in a statement on Oct 31 that the traditional power and gas workforce is expected to grow by about 13 per cent, or 800 workers, in the next 10 years.

This is driven by workforce growth in the electricity transmission and distribution, power generation and gas sub-sectors.

From 2022 to 2024, the power sector’s workforce grew by 4 per cent, or 310 workers, said Ms Gan.

Professionals with technical expertise were especially in demand, she added, pointing to an increase of 180 engineers and 110 skilled technical officers among the number.

EMA said it will continue to collaborate with institutes of higher learning and industry partners to develop a skilled and future-ready workforce to drive the energy transition.

For example, the authority has partnered Ngee Ann Polytechnic on a revised curriculum for a diploma in electrical engineering. Separately, the Institute of Technical Education has introduced a new technical engineer diploma in electrical engineering.

EMA said it has refreshed its resources to highlight emerging trends, jobs and skill sets in demand across the energy sector. Such resources can help Singaporeans make more informed decisions on working in the sector.

Firms are also taking steps by investing in their workforce, Ms Gan noted.

For instance, Sembcorp Solar Singapore is partnering Singapore Polytechnic to upgrade the skill sets in the solar industry, with a goal to train up to 100 professionals by 2027.

Areas of focus include digital system design tools and the use of artificial intelligence-assisted remotely operated vehicles to inspect specific parts of floating solar farms.

SP Group is also looking to maintain its underground electricity network through robotics and digitalisation, said Ms Gan.

Its maintenance team is training a robotic dog, which is equipped with video and thermal cameras, to make routine inspections safer and more efficient.

“We use robotics to help us in a safer and more sustainable way. It improves productivity as well and frees up the maintenance team so that humans can focus on higher-value work,” she said.

Mr Greg Brittian, director for Asia-Pacific at sustainability recruitment firm Acre, said that clean energy sector jobs will not only require technical expertise, but also people with the skills to be able to bridge technology, finance and strategy.

Besides rising demand for jobs like solar and grid engineers, carbon management specialists and energy data analysts, he said that there will also be a strong need for project managers and regional integration experts.

These roles can help advance cross-border grid connectivity across Asean as energy systems become increasingly interlinked, he said.

One challenge is for the workforce to keep pace as clean energy technologies evolve rapidly.

Said Mr Brittian: “Singapore’s opportunity lies in its proven ability to respond quickly through collaboration between government, academia and industry.”

It will also be vital to retrain workers, especially those from adjacent sectors such as oil and gas, infrastructure or digital technology, and leverage their transferable skills for the clean energy sector, he added.