SINGAPORE - Infrastructure engineers, digital asset managers and linear media operators are among the 13 per cent of infocomm and media roles that are at risk of being displaced in three to five years with increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, according to a new study released on Thursday.
Sought-after jobs include those in software engineering, cloud computing and data analytics, requiring the infocomm workforce in Singapore to upskill to land them, said the study.
The study by the Infocomm Media Development Authority sets out the Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) for the sector.
At the launch of the JTM on Thursday, Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo said it is hoped that the JTM would guide employers in redesigning jobs for impacted workers.
It is also hoped that employers will provide the necessary training for workers to take on evolved or emerging job roles, she said, at the 5G Learning Festival held at the National University of Singapore.
"We have three key priorities: upskill our overall workforce with in-demand digital skills; help our information and communications workforce stay competitive; and partner with industry to boost reskilling efforts," said Mrs Teo.
The JTM comes after seven others have been launched in sectors such as land transport, accounting and financial services. Plans for another seven are in the works, and will cover sectors including retail, construction and supply chain management.
JTMs identify highly impacted job roles which will likely be displaced or converged with another role, and medium-impact jobs which will evolve to take on new or additional tasks. Low-impact jobs are those that will undergo minimal changes.
For the infocomm sector, roles such as infrastructure engineers and quality engineers are highly impacted by technology such as cloud and AI. Such tasks can be outsourced to service providers, automated by technology, or subsumed under other functions, noted the study.
Medium-impact roles like database support engineers and product managers are also affected by the same trend, although to a lesser extent, as workers can acquire new skills to take on new tasks.
Low-impact jobs such as enterprise architects and security engineers will just require workers to acquire the latest technology know-how in the field.
For the media industry, tasks that do not require creative input will be automated by technology, so roles such as digital asset managers and linear media operators are at risk of displacement.
Video editors and game producers will be able to outsource repetitive tasks to machines, but they will still need to oversee technology automation.
AI can also support reporters and news anchors by tagging related news content, granting them easy access to research data. Machine learning algorithms can support them in drafting news content at a faster rate.
Film directors, 3D artists and lead game technical artists remain highly strategic roles as they are creative in nature.
The study highlighted that many organisations face difficulties in hiring local talent already equipped with the needed skills to implement and develop technology solutions. To tackle this, IMDA will be appointing training partners, led by institutes of higher learning, to work with companies to develop reskilling programmes, said Mrs Teo.
"Training partners will provide additional support to heavily impacted employees, such as redeployment and customised on-the-job training," she added.
Ms Ng Yen Ling, a senior manager in product development at Singtel, whose role is considered low-impact, said she has to constantly keep up-to-date with the latest tech developments related to her job.
Ms Ng, 46, is currently undergoing the career conversion programme for infocomm professions, which is giving her a deeper understanding of 5G technology.
“Before I took the course, I heard a lot about 5G, but I had to scramble to look for information that is relevant to me. The course provides curated content and sped-up learning,” she said.
