ABSTRACT
This chapter engages with the issues surrounding work-readiness and employability in Singapore. It focuses on the efficacy of efforts of the government under the novel Skills Future program, and the changes made in Singapore's education policy which give Singaporeans increased access to tertiary education at publicly funded universities. To target students in tertiary institutes, Skills Future aims to provide early career guidance and counselling for students in Institute of Technical Educations, Polytechnics, and publicly funded universities. The chapter describes Singapore's contemporary labour market conditions and the composition of its labour force. It then discusses Singapore's education and training system. Singapore's education and training system is sophisticated by most international standards and has been shaped by the state to support country's national developmental and economic goals. The chapter presents a broad overview of the defining features of Singapore's labour market. They are high dependence on foreign labour; a rapidly ageing labour force; low unemployment rates; and low productivity growth.
