Beat Rising Costs Of Living By Upskilling!

Cheap groceries. Budget eats. Tips on saving water. These money-saving strategies are trending and for a good reason too. Cost of living is rising globally, and Singapore is not spared. Inflation has reached levels not seen in the last four decades across the world.

The bad news is that high cost of living is here to stay thanks to the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical troubles, and climate disasters disrupting global supply chains.

The good news? Singapore’s economy is still competitive and we have been seeing real wage growth after accounting for inflation. For 2025, we expect wages to increase as well.

But here is an even better way to tackle rising cost of living: Invest in your skill sets.

Upskilling and reskilling is a proven strategy to ensure career resilience and progression in the long run. Here’s why.

Training in core competencies and skills relevant to one’s sector brings about important benefits: increase in productivity, higher effectiveness at work, contributing to stronger business outcomes at your agency—to name some.

This means overall better work performance, which boosts your performance review, leading to better career progression (and better wages!) and performance bonuses.

Here's a guide to taking charge of your career growth.

Know What Skills to Invest In

Upskilling doesn’t mean indiscriminate skilling. Every public agency has its own career progression paths and skills mapped out for different job roles. Understanding the career pathway for your role is the first step in charting your growth.

The mid-year and end-of-year reviews are not the only times you can discuss your performance and career track with your reporting officer. Own your career growth and have regular check-ins on your skill set and areas that need development.

Once you have an idea what skills you need to further boost your career, you can start sourcing the right courses to invest in. Sector-specific skills aside, core competencies such as critical thinking and collaboration are fundamental to your work performance.

Embrace Digitalisation and Automation

New technologies are already shaping the Public Service as we know it. AI-powered tools are being integrated with our work systems.

To be a future-ready public officer, first build your digital literacy. This is fundamental as digitalisation will only increase, both at the workplace and in our interactions with the public.

Next, understand what digital skills you need for your role. Are you in a public communications role and need to know how to use social media effectively for public engagement? Does your role require you to handle private data submitted through databases? Armed with that understanding, scan the offerings at the Digital Academy, to identify which courses will benefit you.

As Head, Civil Service, Mr Leo Yip, reminds us, "We cannot expect our citizens and businesses to embrace digitalisation, ageing, SkillsFuture, and so forth, if the Public Service does not first lead the way itself." So let's blaze the trail together!

Have a Growth Mindset

Effective learning doesn’t have to always be certificated or take a chunk out of your working hours. There are always opportunities for us to upskill and expand our knowledge in areas that help us work better.

The LEARN app is designed to provide microlearning modules 24/7 on topics ranging from workplace skills and management know-how to domain knowledge such as data analytics—just the right bite-sized learning to go with your tea break.

Most importantly, having a growth mindset is what ensures your long-term career resilience and growth, and performance bonuses.