Over 1 in 2 S’poreans aged 30 to 75 used SkillsFuture credit, surge driven by year-end deadline: SSG

SINGAPORE - More than half of all eligible Singaporeans aged 30 to 75 have tapped their SkillsFuture Credit since the national movement began a decade ago, with take-up driven largely by the rush to use expiring credits.

Latest figures released by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) on Feb 9 in its year-in-review show that 606,000 individuals took up SSG-supported training in 2025, up from 555,000 in 2024.

The surge in interest was boosted by the Dec 31, 2025, expiry of a one-off credit top-up, said SSG, adding that credit usage that month was higher than the monthly average recorded from January to November. This $500 credit was issued to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above in 2020.

Singaporeans are also taking up training courses with direct impact on employability, SSG said. Around 123,000 individuals enrolled in such courses in 2025, up from 112,000 in 2024.

These include full-qualification programmes, stackable courses offered by institutes of higher learning, and the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes, which help mid-career individuals pivot to in-demand sectors.

There were 15,000 learners who completed their SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes between June 2022 and June 2025, said SSG. Of these, 51 per cent found new roles within six months of completion.

Overall, the number of SkillsFuture credit users – including those aged 25 to 30 – increased to 458,000 in 2025, from 260,000 in 2024. 

Since its introduction in 2016, 46 per cent of eligible Singaporeans have used their credits. In 2024, this figure was 37 per cent.

Among age groups, those aged 30 to 39 are the most active, with 64 per cent of them having used their credits, up from 44 per cent in 2024.

This is followed by individuals aged 40 to 49 and those aged 50 to 59. The least active are those aged 25 to 29 and those 60 and above.

The trend of mid-career individuals taking more courses to support their employability was also supported by the introduction of the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance in 2025, SSG said. Some 5,300 recipients received this allowance for eligible full-time long-form training.

This allowance provides Singaporeans aged 40 and above with 50 per cent of their salary, up to $3,000, and from March will be extended to eligible part-time training courses.

The report also highlighted a contrast in participation trends: While individual learners hit a high, employer-led training showed signs of slowing.

The number of enterprises that sent workers for training fell to 23,000 in 2025, down from 24,000 in 2024. SSG attributed this dip to a more conservative business environment, with the Singapore Business Federation’s National Business Survey showing a decline in confidence throughout the latter half of 2025.

The training sector continued to maintain its quality, said SSG, with 73 per cent of learners agreeing that training had improved their work performance, up from 69 per cent in 2024.

The agency added that 67 per cent attributed career advancements to their courses, compared with 64 per cent in 2024. And 82 per cent of surveyed participants said the learning and insights were transferable to their work, a slight dip from 84 per cent in 2024.

Beyond specific job skills, the most popular training areas in 2025 included information and communications, food and beverage, and security and investigation. Learners also increasingly turned to online platforms like Coursera for “bite-sized” upgrading.

SSG said it is tightening its course approval requirements to ensure that training is relevant to job and business needs.

Training providers must now demonstrate deeper engagement with employers to ensure that curricula are shaped by actual industry needs, and provide high-quality and relevant training for workers.

SSG chief executive Tan Kok Yam noted that while the credit expiry “moved” many to engage with the system, the goal now is to deepen that partnership.

“Training becomes more critical, not less, in an environment of technological disruption,” he said, addressing employers. “The depth and breadth of workers’ skill sets will enable businesses to pivot and adapt quickly.”

He added that SkillsFuture will continue to ease enrolment processes and improve the way course information is provided to help Singaporeans.