CareersCompass by MyCareersFuture Podcast

Bridging the Talent Gap in Singapore: What's the HR Leader's Gameplan? (Insights)

In this day and age, internal mobility matters — employees want the chance to learn new skills and a fresh change of job scope. Because without that, greener pastures and the possibility of a pay bump are very powerful push factors.
Companies that successfully ensure employees can move to different roles within the same organisation, but still maintain promotion and growth prospects, enjoy benefits such as reduced hiring costs, increased retention, and a more adaptable workforce.
That’s why there was quite a gasp in the room when Kritvi Kedia, an associate partner at global management consultants McKinsey & Company, shared at Workforce Singapore’s Career Health Summit, that her firm had managed to achieve 21% internal mobility, which was high compared to other peers in their industry.
In this podcast, she shares the following:
How McKinsey achieved their internal mobility rate;
McKinsey’s playbook that HR leaders can use to improve their in-company talent; and
How a structured framework like the SkillsFuture taxonomy can help Singapore companies learn flexibly, and evolve their workforce to market demands.
Listen to this podcast to learn more!
Key highlights to listen to: 
(1:43) The mindset of Singaporean workers when it comes to change can be a challenge for Singapore HR leaders
(2:57) Good frameworks to organise change at your organisation for its business strategy
(6:15) If leaders don't mirror the change they want in their organisation...
(8:55) Understanding skills-based hiring and learning journeys for workers in the age of career health
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you, as an employer, invest in your workforce and boost business outcomes:https://www.wsg.gov.sg/home/campaigns/career-health-employers
 

Hard Truths for Young Workers Trying to Get Their First Job (Readiness)

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong recently acknowledged many younger workers and fresh graduates are worried about jobs and employment, because of the current uncertain economic outlook.
He then revealed the launch of a new and similar traineeship programme, called the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme.
It aims to offer traineeship opportunities for a period of 3 to 6 months across various sectors, with these key benefits:
Gain valuable industry experience through structured on-the-job training;
Boost employability by preparing for full-time job transition; and
Receive a traineeship allowance co-funded by the Government and the host organisation.
While GRIT will help young workers get a foot in the door, there also needs to be a mindset change for them to start building career health as early on as possible.
Key highlights to listen to: 
We spoke to two young workers, Li Jiayue and Xiao YiXuan, who share their take on:
(1:30) Being open to job market changes, and needing to pivot quickly
(2:12) Career health is not about having good mental health at the workplace
(4:56) There are no fixed ways for career success
(7:00) The kind of skills you’ll need to learn after you enter the workforce
For those interested in GRIT, traineeship opportunities will be available from October 2025 when the GRIT programme is launched.
Fresh graduates are encouraged to register their interest  to be among the first to know when the programme is launched and opportunities become available.
Looking for career guidance? If you are exploring career changes and need professional advice, register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Polaris Career Coaching today.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

Why Skills-Based Hiring for Singapore Employers is No Longer an Option, But a Must (Insights)

Speaking at Workforce Singapore’s Career Health Summit, Joseph Fuller, Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, was unequivocal about how important managing the career health of employees. That, as well as adopting a skills-based approach to hiring, was at a crucial turning point for Singapore employers.
Professor Fuller began his opening keynote on Career Health as Business Strategy: Building an Agile Workforce to Navigate Economic Uncertainty, saying: “The paradigm of work that evolved in the industrial era is over, and the system of learning and training that evolved in support of it, obsolete.”
To Singapore employers, he revealed that systems to develop and sustain talent in an era of unparalleled disruption will be essential to raise the prospect of workers and their families, as well the competitiveness of local employers. He then concluded by saying he was immensely impressed with the vision embodied in Singapore’s Career Health initiative, and excited to contribute to its launch.
We spoke to him after his keynote on Day One of the Summit, and he shared further on:
Why employers can’t afford to hire workers who provide maximum output only with careful supervision, and cannot deviate
What kind of workers and roles will come to the fore when it comes to skills-based hiring
How to go about a skills-based hiring strategy that is effective in Singapore
Listen to the podcast below and find out more!
Key highlights to listen to: 
(1:59) Why Singapore employers need workers with skills and flexibility to use them, not "robots"
(3:44) Is the culture you've set at your company to be career health-friendly?
(4:28) If you aren't hiring with a skills-based focus, your company is in trouble
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you, as an employer, invest in your workforce and boost business outcomes:https://www.wsg.gov.sg/home/campaigns/career-health-employers

Feeling Stressed About Your Career or Job Search? Here’s How To Calm Down (Tenacity)

Dr Christopher Fong, Managing Partner and Lead Consultant at Psych.line Consultants, shares some better ways to better mental health hygiene.
Key highlights to listen to: 
(0:36) How's the current state of your mental health?
(0:45) What are the benefits of building resilience? 
To listen to the full podcast, head here.
Looking for career guidance? If you are exploring career changes and need professional advice, register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Polaris Career Coaching today.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

Skills-based Hiring: Which Sectors Are Moving Fast to Secure Top Talent? (Readiness)

Is skills-based hiring happening in the Singapore job market, you ask? According to Nilay Khandelwal, Senior Managing Director, Michael Page Singapore and India, the straight answer is “yes”. In our podcast, he shares that:
Skills-based hiring is gaining traction, especially in sectors like tech, logistics, and sustainability.
Employers are rethinking job descriptions and introducing skills-based assessments in hiring.
Listen to learn more about how hiring and jobs are changing in this new skills-based culture!
Key highlights to listen to:
(01:13) How are Singaporean employers moving towards skills-based hiring?
(01:39): And how should Singaporean workers and jobseekers put themselves in the best position for jobs they want?
(2:20) The value of lived experience when it comes to jobs and careers
(3:06) What are the emerging market trends when it comes to job descriptions and CVs for skills-based hiring?
Need personalised guidance in your job search? Register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Career Matching Services today and get the support you need.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

Understand How and Why Personality Can Hold Back Professional Success (Insights)

We all assume we know what our professional skills and strengths are – but what if there's a mismatch with our innate personality? Here’s how Polaris helped this mid-life, mid-career Singaporean. 
In this episode of our Listen and Learn series, which covers the most popular content on CareersCompass, Workforce Singapore Principal Manager Kelvin Tan shares his second session with Polaris, a suite of personalised career guidance programmes delivered by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and its appointed providers, Ingeus and AKG.
If you haven’t heard about Polaris, here’s a quick rundown: It’s a suite of personalised career guidance programmes delivered by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and its appointed providers, Ingeus and AKG.
It is designed for those who are:
Exploring career opportunities;
Seeking clarity before making crucial career decisions;
Looking to move up in their career; and
Contemplating to hone their expertise in a specific role.
Listen here for some key takeaways that he learnt from his career coach, Joey Kang on his work-related behaviour, linked to his communication style and approach to work, as well as preferences and energy for specific roles and tasks!
You can also read and listen to how his three Polaris sessions went:
(Session 1) Career Guidance for the Middle-Aged: How This Singaporean Got Started on Polaris by WSG
(Session 2) Career Growth for the Middle-Aged: How Polaris by WSG Helped This Singaporean Discover His Real Competencies
(Session 3) Career Guidance for the Middle-Aged: Why Coaching Helps With Motivation
Key highlights to listen to:
(2:00) What is the Workplace Big Five, and how does it help with your career?
(2:41) Why personality is linked to professional success
(3:23) Job security: have we been defining it incorrectly?
(4:29) Your industry and your job function are two separate things!
Need personalised guidance in your job search? Register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Career Matching Services today and get the support you need.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

How This Middle-aged Singaporean Improved His Career Health With Polaris by WSG (Readiness)

In this podcast, we speak with Malcolm Chen, who recently attended a career guidance programme called Polaris by Workforce Singapore.
If you haven’t heard about Polaris, here’s a quick rundown: It’s a suite of personalised career guidance programmes delivered by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and its appointed providers, Ingeus and AKG.
It is designed for those who are:
Exploring career opportunities;
Seeking clarity before making crucial career decisions;
Looking to move up in their career; and
Contemplating to hone their expertise in a specific role.
He shares more about his career journey, how he found value in speaking with a career coach to uncover his workplace personality, and gain clarity on actionable steps for his long-term career health. Learn more about his experience here!
Key highlights to listen to:
(2:00) While it’s surprising that Polaris is for those who currently have jobs, rather than the unemployed, here’s the reason why.
(4:41) What exactly goes on in Polaris, and why Malcolm found it helpful.
(6:13) Understanding what we can do better in our jobs and planning our career are the key parts of Polaris
(9:29) Malcolm: “Our focus on comparing each other on salaries and career achievements is hurting us more than we realise.”
Need personalised guidance in your job search? Register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Career Matching Services today and get the support you need.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

COS 2025: Unpacking Why Career Health is Such a Big Deal for Workers and Employers (Insights)

In this podcast, we round up the key highlights from the Committee of Supply (COS) 2025: What do Singaporean workers and employers have to look forward to and benefit from?
There’s much to unpack, such as the below and more:
Career Health SG, a new nationwide initiative to empower Singaporeans to develop meaningful and resilient careers;
The introduction of a new SkillsFuture Workforce Development grant, which provides funding support of up to 70% (with the current cap at $30,000 to be reviewed and raised) for companies to engage pre-approved consultants on job redesign.
It's clear that helping Singaporean employees and their employers start to build career health strategies is a big priority of COS 2025, and this podcast covers some of the programmes and schemes towards that end, and what employers and workers need to take note of to get the best use of them.
We speak with Adrian Choo, CEO/Founder of Career Agility International. Formerly from Shell and GE Plastics, and with more than a decade in C-suite headhunting, he shares on how all these goodies can help employers and workers meet halfway in building greater career health and longevity, in terms of skillset and competitivity for our local workforce!
Key highlights to listen to:
(2:25) Figuring out exactly what new skills are needed is something both employers and workers need to align on
(4:38) If employers can offer gym access to improve employees' physical health, what can they do to improve their career thealth?
(6:25) Career health and upskilling needs to be more than a top down initiative, with leaders leading by example
(8:43) Job redesign: whose jobs need to change, and quickly?
Need personalised guidance in your job search? Register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Career Matching Services today and get the support you need.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

Mid-career and Middle-aged, And Worried About Your Career Prospects? This Singaporean Tried Polaris (Growth)

For many of the industries that we work in, the economic and technological changes in the business landscape will definitely impact our career outlooks.
As such, it is important to roadmap our future career progression, keeping in mind our personal and professional aspirations.
But of course, as the saying goes: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.
In this episode of our Listen and Learn series, which covers the most popular content on CareersCompass, Workforce Singapore Principal Manager Kelvin Tan shares his personal experience with Polaris, a suite of personalised career guidance programmes delivered by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and its appointed providers, Ingeus and AKG.
It is designed for those who are:
Exploring career opportunities;
Seeking clarity before making crucial career decisions;
Looking to move up in their career; and
Contemplating to hone their expertise in a specific role.
Learn about about his experience here, and read how his three Polaris sessions went:
(Session 1) Career Guidance for the Middle-Aged: How This Singaporean Got Started on Polaris by WSG
(Session 2) Career Growth for the Middle-Aged: How Polaris by WSG Helped This Singaporean Discover His Real Competencies
(Session 3) Career Guidance for the Middle-Aged: Why Coaching Helps With Motivation
Key highlights to listen to:
(2:45) Why inertia and complacency can hit us all with in mid-life and mid-career 
(5:21) Why Polaris by WSG is a good way to audit your career so far
(7:10) What can career coaching do to help with the insights you've gleaned for a bigger and better career after
Need personalised guidance in your job search? Register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Career Matching Services today and get the support you need.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf 

The Key Principles to Achieve Better Career Health This Year (Growth)

We're starting another new year, and the key buzzword professionally is career health. It's about being on track for a sustainable career, while also staying relevant and fulfilled in Singapore's fast changing job market. 
With industries changing fast from digitalisation, green goals, and global competition, employers' needs are changing, and in this podcast episode we explain a few key aspects to stay on top of it all:
What is skills-first hiring, and why does it matter to you?
How to audit your career path and whether its truly got the legs to last you your professional lifespan
No one builds a career in isolation- how to get help if you need it!
Key highlights to listen to:
(1:20) What are employers focused on when it comes to hiring?
(3:10) A tool that can help you figure it all out
(4:30) For those who are employed- where does your employer factor into your career health?
Need personalised guidance in your job search? Register for a complimentary session with WSG’s Career Matching Services today and get the support you need.
Find out more about WSG's programmes and services to help you in your career:https://www.wsg.gov.sg
Read about the latest career tips and advice | Apply for Jobs | Register for events here:https://go.gov.sg/podcast-careerscompassbymcf