The Care Economy Explained: Trends, Skills & Jobs You Need to Know About

This article was written with reference to the inaugural Skills Demand for the Future Economy Report that was published in 2021. A latest report has been published in 2022. Click here to read the latest Skills Demand for the Future Economy Report 2022.

What is the Care Economy?

The Care Economy offers care and support services that contribute to the nurturing and development of our current and future populations. The sectors delivering these services include Healthcare, Wellness, Community Care, Early Childhood, Social Service, General Education and Training and Adult Education.

With advances in technology and healthcare, people around the world are living longer, resulting in an increasing ageing population. This, together with evolving demands for care, has driven the Care Economy into becoming one the fastest-expanding economic sectors globally. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to this as well, accelerating the need for a stronger care ecosystem.

A recent report of jobs by the World Economic Forum¹ stated that by 2022, almost 40% of job openings in emerging professions will be in the Care Economy.

Similarly in Singapore, the Care Economy is growing. The Care Economy has been identified as one of the three growth areas, together with Digital Economy and the Green Economy, for Singapore in SkillsFuture Singapore’s inaugural Skills Demand for the Future Economy report.

Drawing on labour market data, the report covers the top 20 clusters of priority skills for each of the three growth areas. These are skills that are required by most number of job roles across sectors under each economy. We encourage individuals to tap on the report for their own needs and situation—their work experience, strengths and aspirations—and use it to plan for their lifelong learning journey.

In the Care Economy, this growth is expected to have an impact on jobs and skills in the following ways:

- Technological advancements will result in new capabilities such as more accurate diagnoses and interventions, and more targeted care plans. People will also be empowered to manage their own wellness through innovative and client-centric services.

- More holistic and inclusive care provision through community partnerships and strong collaborations across different disciplines.

- Increasingly important alternate manpower resources for care organisations, such as non-traditional workers and informal workers such as volunteers and part-timers.

What are the priority skills in the Care Economy?

There are 5 skill clusters that feature prominently in the Care Economy, and they contain skills that are highly transferable across Care Economy sectors. The skill clusters are Conduct and Ethics, Stakeholder Management, Inclusive Practices, Reflective Practice,and Change Management Framework.

Priority Skills in Healthcare

With an ageing population in Singapore, personalised patient-care gains importance as efforts are made to meet each person’s unique medical needs and history. Professionals in the healthcare sector will require relevant skills in Management of Stakeholders, Continuous Improvement Management, Service Quality Management, and Clinical Teaching and Supervision.

Some Recommended SkillsFuture Credit-eligible Courses

Graduate Certificate in Digital Health
Training Provider: Singapore Management University
Course Fee: Available modularly
Duration: Available modularly
Find out more here.


Specialist Diploma in Integrated Care Management
Training Provider: Republic Polytechnic
Course Fee: Available modularity
Duration: Available modularity
Find out more here and here.


Digital Health and Health Informatics
Training Provider: Nanyang Polytechnic
Course Fee: $260
Duration: 7 hours
Find out more here.

You can also explore other courses for the Care Economy here.

Priority Skills in Community Care

Community care plays an important complementary role to primary healthcare, and requires collaboration between a variety of stakeholders to create a network that provides timely and coordinated assistance to seniors. Priority skills in this sector include clinical and therapy-related skills, care and services skills, and business development and management skills.

Some Recommended SkillsFuture Credit-eligible Courses

Certificate of Competence in Dementia Care & Smart Solutions
Training Provider: Institute of Technical Education
Course Fee: $360
Duration: 14 hours
Find out more here.


Coaching & Case Management with Older Adults
Training Provider: Temasek Polytechnic
Course Fee: $635.58
Duration: 45 hours
Find out more here.


Nutrition Screening and Assessment for Older Adults
Training Provider: Temasek Polytechnic
Course Fee: $612.00
Duration: 30 hours
Find out more here.

You can also explore other courses for the Care Economy here.

Priority Skills in Social Service

As Singapore’s demographic make-up evolves, the social service sector has grown to support individuals-in-need across five service areas: children and youth, people with disabilities and special needs, families and caregivers, people with mental health issues, and seniors.

To serve these diverse social groups, priority skills in this sector include Diversity Awareness & Management, Stakeholder Management, Ethics, Values & Legislation, Trends Evaluation & Application, and Collaborative Practices across Disciplines and Sectors.

Some Recommended SkillsFuture Credit-eligible Courses

Practising Person-Centred Care Approach (Synchronous elearning)
Training Provider: Social Service Institute
Course Fee: $70
Duration: 14 hours
Find out more here.


Case Management in Practice: Introduction (Synchronous e-learning)
Training Provider: Social Service Institute
Course Fee: $210
Duration: 14 hours
Find out more here.


Community and Partnerships Specialist
Training Provider: NTUC LearningHub Pte Ltd
Course Fee: $500
Duration: 468 hours
Find out more here.

You can also explore other courses for the Care Economy here.

Priority Skills in Early Childhood

Early childhood educators play and important role in creating a secure, nurturing and inclusive environment where children with diverse backgrounds can learn. Strong collaborations between families, communities and multi-disciplinary professionals are required for holistic care as well.

Priority skills in this sector include Staff Continuous Learning and Reflective Practice for Educators, Situation Management with Families & Community, Interaction & Relationship, Ethical Conduct & Professional Integrity, and Diversity & Inclusion.

Some Recommended SkillsFuture Credit-eligible Courses

Infant and Toddler Learning Environment
Training Provider: Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Course Fee: $890
Duration: 60 hours
Find out more here.


WSQ Higher Certificate in Infant Care
Training Provider: KLC International Institute
Course Fee: $5,000
Duration: 300 hours
Find out more here.


Specialist Certificate in Teaching and Learning of Preschool Arts Education (TLPAE)
Training Provider: SEED Institute Pte Ltd
Course Fee: $1,215
Duration: 48 hours
Find out more here.

You can also explore other courses for the Care Economy here.

Priority Skills in Training & Adult Education (TAE)

Skilled workers who grow and improve their workplace effectiveness with new skills are valued by their organisations. TAE professionals play a pivotal role here in facilitating the learning and acquisition of skills.

Priority skills in this sector include Business Environment Analysis, Organisational Analysis, Innovation Management, Learning Experience Evaluation, and Research Data Analysis.

Some Recommended SkillsFuture Credit-eligible Courses

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance
Training Provider: Institute for Adult Learning
Course Fee: $5,900
Duration: 129.5 hours
Find out more here.


IAL SECRET Online Learning Framework
Training Provider: Institute for Adult Learning
Course Fee: $4,000
Duration: 28 hours
Find out more here.


Introduction to Mentoring for the Workplace
Training Provider: Nanyang Polytechnic
Course Fee: $490
Duration: 7 hours
Find out more here.

You can also explore other courses for the Care Economy here.

Charting Your Skills Development

The Care Economy, with the Green and Digital Economies, illustrates new opportunities and the changing landscape of jobs and skills as Singapore continues its economic transformation. 

To help you get started on developing and deepening your skills, here are some SkillsFuture resources you can tap on.

¹ World Economic Forum, Jobs of Tomorrow: Mapping Opportunity in the New Economy, 2020.