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Jubilee budget is welcome news for Singapore marketing industry that ‘produces less creative talent than the West’, says recruiter

Deputy PM Tharman Shanmugaratnam's budget speech

Deputy PM Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s speech

A recruitment firm has welcomed news of Singapore’s budget statement today, saying that the marketing and media industries will benefit from the government’s proposed plans to invest more in nurturing creative talent, which typically has lacked the emphasis seen in Western economies.

Priya Bala, regional director of Font, said that mention in the budget statement of the need to invest in creative talent to help local businesses “is a recognition of a growing and evolving marketing industry that has been keeping pace with technological advances, and the positive impact marketing can bring to businesses.”

She said: “In a tight labour market, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find and acquire creative talent. Any encouragement and support to boost home-grown creative talent is crucial for the industry, in a society that traditionally produces less creative talent than their Western counterparts.”

The budget introduced the SkillsFuture programme, which is designed to help those “pursuing mastery in their fields” right through to old age, according to deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Bala added: “From a labour perspective, the Jubilee Budget has a strong focus on lifelong learning, skill investment and the ability for workers to advance in their careers. This is a particular boost for the marketing, digital and creative industries where the development of niche expertise, rather than academia, equates to more equipped professionals.”

“We will hopefully see a positive shift towards more skills-focused training outside of the classroom to elevate the level of talent in these industries over the next half a decade,” she said.

A 10-minute video of the highlights from the budget was tweeted by the prime minister this evening.

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