Female Workforce Participation in Emerging Industries and Sectors with Dearth of Women Talents

The following question stood in the name of Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling –

To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the Ministry’s observations of the job market in terms of emerging trends or developments where female professionals are coming forward to apply their skill sets in emerging industries like digitalisation and sustainability.

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Manpower (a) which growth sectors currently see the largest dearth of women talents and leaders; and (b) what are the factors that could have contributed to this gender imbalance.

Singapore's female employment rate has increased over the past decade from 54% in 2010 to 57.7% in 2020. And this ranks well, compared to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Women's share amongst Professional Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) has also increased over the decade, from 41.1% to 45.6%. We are observing more women joining growth sectors such as in information and communication, financial services and health and social services. Altogether, women make up 52.8% in these three sectors.

The share of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) jobs, while lower, has also increased from 29.9% in 2015, to 32.4% in 2020. In 2019, MOM conducted a joint study on Singapore's suggested gender pay gap with Assoc Prof Jessica Pan from NUS and the study found that the differences in gender ratios across occupations could be due to gender differences in terms of personality and psychological traits, skills, different values placed on workplace flexibility, as well as social norms.

We will continue to work with our tripartite partners and community stakeholders to support women's participation in the workforce and help them enter and remain in occupations of their choice, including in emerging sectors.