Singapore to gear up for growing need for 'green-collar' jobs

Today Online 29 Jul 09;

IT'S bright. And it's green.

That is the outlook for the construction sector, with total construction demand over the next three years estimated to be between $18 billion and $27 billion annually.

Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education Grace Fu said yesterday that the outlook for the construction sector is "bright".

But to reap the opportunities, the industry needs to transform itself by attracting and grooming more talent and focusing on areas that add more value.

Green building technology that increases energy efficiency is one example.

Along with this, Singapore - which is aiming for 80 per cent of all its buildings to be certified "green" by the year 2030 - will also need a "green-collar" workforce of about 18,000 to 20,000 specialists, she said.

These are the people who will help develop, design, construct, operate and maintain green buildings.

Ms Fu said despite the economic downturn, the building and construction sector saw double-digit growth in the last one-and-a-half years, and is expected to stay that way. The industry's annual average from 2000 to 2006 was $11 billion.

"Green collar" workers are not only highly sought after in Singapore but in countries elsewhere where huge resources are being devoted to build up such expertise.

An United Nation report on "green" jobs estimated that the global market volume for green products and services last year was nearly US$1.4 trillion ($2 trillion). This is expected to double by 2020.

Ms Fu was speaking at an awards ceremony where she handed out 19 BCA-Industry Built Environment Scholarships.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will also work with leading firms to offer more scholarships to build up the talent pool, she said.