'Green collar' jobs in Singapore: 8,000 and rising

Cleantech industry expected to power ahead with a strong focus on R&D
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 10 Oct 10;

Fresh out of university and armed with a newly minted degree in mechanical engineering, Ms Chen Wan Ying had the world at her feet.

Surveying the job landscape, she wanted something that would match her interest in technology with her desire to make a difference. She found it - in wind energy.

'I wanted to do research in wind turbines to help drive down the cost of wind power, making such renewable energy more competitive and on a par with oil and gas,' she told The Sunday Times.

The 25-year-old research and development engineer for Danish wind power giant Vestas' Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore is one of the 8,000 clean technology, or 'cleantech', workers here. Collectively, they are also known as Singapore's 'green collar' workforce.

The figure, disclosed by the Economic Development Board (EDB) for the first time, signals a turning point for Singapore's nascent cleantech industry. It is expected to power ahead and provide some 18,000 jobs by 2015.

Cleantech refers to green technologies such as solar or wind power which seek to minimise their environmental impact.

EDB's director of cleantech Goh Chee Kiong told The Sunday Times that out of the anticipated 18,000 jobs, 3,000 will come from research and development, 'which gives you an indication of the innovation intensiveness of the industry'.

The rest will range from manufacturing to skilled engineering positions, project managers and finance professionals, he said.

On top of that, the Building and Construction Authority is seeking to train about 20,000 workers in the building industry - converting such blue collar workers into a green workforce able to design and run green buildings.

'There is a distinct trend that we are hearing and sensing from younger Singaporeans - that many of them would like to work in industries related to sustainability and climate change, and such a growing green collar workforce would fulfil that aspiration,' said Mr Goh.

Mr Andrew Xiao, 25, chief production engineer for Alpha Biofuels, is another such graduate who consciously chose to join a cleantech firm. The firm converts waste oil, such as cooking oil, into biodiesel for energy.

'The key focus for me was to find a job that helped to transform our economy into a more sustainable one - that's why I joined Alpha,' said Mr Xiao, who oversees the biodiesel production floor.

Although he did consider the more alluring prospect of working for a multinational cleantech firm, he said he was glad he joined a smaller firm.

'I seem to get a lot more exposure than my peers who joined the big firms. The pay is competitive and I'm learning a lot.'

The direct honours graduate, with an environmental engineering degree from Nanyang Technological University, hopes to set up his own cleantech firm one day.

Cleantech jobs may be popular with young graduates, but they are also increasingly appealing to mid-career professionals who want a change of environment but hope to capitalise on their existing skills, noted Mr Goh.

In the case of Mr Choo Thian Siong, 33, his skills as an architect in his former job were applied to his current one: solar research.

He is now working for the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (Seris) as a research scientist involved in building integrated photovoltaics and energy efficient buildings. He joined Seris about two months ago after gaining a Masters of Environment degree from the University of Melbourne.

'My job at Seris enables me to apply what I've learnt into building designs through private sector collaborations,' he said

Singapore's growing green collar workforce will eventually serve its economy well, noted Credit Suisse's Asian chief economist Joseph Tan.

'This sector will be increasingly important for Singapore. There is a renewed awareness of environmental issues here and globally. Globally, the cleantech industry is rapidly growing,' he said.

Apart from its contribution to Singapore's gross domestic product, advances in clean technology will also help Singapore become more competitive, he added.

'This will enable our economy to be much more efficient, cutting down waste and helping businesses and individuals reduce cost.'