Plan involves digitalising HR and getting more professionals certified
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has launched a new five-year HR Industry Transformation Plan (HR ITP) that aims to boost the human resources profession amid rapid changes in the industry.
"The HR ITP is a five-year plan to strengthen the HR profession in Singapore and evolve HR's role to drive strategy and operational excellence, leading to increased business value and outcomes," said Singaporean Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad.
The new plan comes as the industry sees demographic changes and rapid technological advancements that are changing the way businesses operate and people work, according to MOM.
Based on the recommendations of the 2020 HR Transformation Advisory Panel, the HR ITP has two key thrusts:
- Build HR capabilities for sector and business transformation
- Uplift HR with relevant skills and mindsets
Building HR capabilities
According to the senior minister, this key thrust will see the kick-off of HR digitalisation, which at the operational level, will save time and resources for businesses.
"At the strategic level, the use of people data and analytics can help organisations better plan and align workforce skills and training needs to the business strategy," Zaqy said, who was speaking at the HR Tech Festival Asia 2023.
In line with this goal, the government has also rolled out the following strategies:
- Enhancing the Productivity Solutions Grant to support new HR tech solutions
- Hosting MOM's Workforce Insights Portal on the myMOM Portal
- Assisting companies on firm-related attributes through the Complementarity Assessment Framework
- Offering Work Singapore's HR Tech Transformation Programme to support employers in redesigning HR jobs
A new Job Redesign Centre of Excellence will also be set up to help companies navigate their job transformation journey, the senior minister added.
Employers with HR capabilities are 5.5 times more likely to be profitable that their peers and six times more innovative, according to Zaqy, who cited a Josh Bersin study with IBM.
"Businesses that have a strong and strategic HR enables them to stay competitive, attract and grow the right talent to support business objectives, and seize new opportunities," Zaqy said.
Uplift HR with relevant skills, mindsets
The second thrust of the HR ITP involves enhancing HR skills, with a key step involving getting HR professionals certified.
"Certification recognises the individual's knowledge and experience as a HR professional. It also provides the individual with access to extensive HR networks and resources, including latest industry practices and manpower requirements," said Zaqy.
There are currently over 6,800 HR professionals certified by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP), according to the senior minister, with the government aiming for 15,000 IHRP certified professionals by 2027.
"HR professionals can look forward to more curated programmes to support their skills upgrading and leadership development," the official said.
Non-HR individuals who are also involved in recruitment will also receive knowledge and competencies on fair and progressive HR practices, including labour legislation.
"I strongly encourage employers and HR professionals to reference the HR ITP and explore the rich resources available to address your business and people challenges," Zaqy said.
