Career Health - Institute for Human Resource Professionals

Build a Skills-First,
Future-Ready Workforce

Overview

Let’s Get Started

What is Career Health

Career Health SG is a national initiative in support of the SkillsFuture movement. It aims to empower Singaporeans to chart their career pathways by deepening knowledge and skills with insights on growth jobs and industries. This initiative recognises that sustainable career growth stems from continuously developing relevant skills that align with evolving industry needs.

For employers and HR leaders, career health is about future-proofing your organisation’s workforce. In a tight talent market, manpower challenges can be turned into opportunities when you adopt a skills-first approach to hiring and workforce development.

The Career Health Overview

Businesses also benefit from taking a skills-first approach to hiring and human capital development. They can widen their access to talent, reduce hiring costs and build a more adaptable workforce.

As the appointed Skills Development Partner by Skills & Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), IHRP guides HR professionals in implementing these skills-first practices. We help organisations align their talent strategies with business objectives by translating business needs into skills requirements, implementing skills-based talent practices, building internal capabilities for skills-based workforce development, and creating sustainable career pathways for employees.

By focusing on employees’ skills and potential, rather than only credentials or past roles, using the Career Health
ACE framework (Assess – Chart – Execute) you can:

Assess

Attract and retain top talent despite rising competition.

Chart

Sharpen your organisation's competitive edge by building adaptable teams.

Execute

Grow your business sustainably with a workforce ready for change.

Think of it as workforce fitness – when your people stay sharp, adaptable, and continuously learning, your organisation stays resilient and future-ready.

We often focus on skillsets, but my conversations have highlighted that this is only one piece of the puzzle. A truly effective skills strategy must collectively address Skillsets, Mindset and Digital Toolsets.

Solving these three collectively is paramount. Neglecting one will inevitably hinder the progress of the others.

Ong Chin Yin

IHRP-MP and Chief People Officer, Grab

At OCBC, we’re not just preparing for the future of work — we’re shaping it by giving every employee the tools, guidance, and confidence to grow with purpose and lead with impact.

Yap Aye Wee

IHRP-MP and Head, Learning & Transformation, Group Human Resources, OCBC

Explore Skills-First Insights

Discover practices, research, and resources shaping a skills-first future.

Skills-first Practices

IHRP Jobs-Skills Insights

Skills-First Practices Resources

Skills-first Practices

Skills-First Paradigm: One that positions skills as the common currency for articulating, developing, and recognising capabilities across the labour market.

The Centre for Skills-First Practices (CSFP) was set up to build the capability and mindshare of stakeholders to articulate, activate and recognise skills and in so doing, optimise human capital development and skills use in Singapore. CSFP focuses on three areas:

Build ecosystem-wide capabilities to embrace skills-first practices;

Develop analytical methods that provide insights into skills demand, supply, gaps, practices and solutions; and

Champion global strategic convening to advance skills-first practices.

Skills-First Working Paper Series

With the global emphasis on skills and the importance on skills that Singapore places, it is timely to define what skills-first means for Singapore. The working paper series, a six-part publication, produced by the Centre for Skills-First Practices (CSFP), aims to catalyse dialogue, surface fresh perspectives and encourage the co-creation of practical solutions to advance a skills-first ecosystem in Singapore. The first three working papers are now available online:

Paper #1 Skills-First: Are We There Yet?

Paper #2 Skills-First: What Does It Mean for Me?

Paper #3 Skills-First: What Does It Mean for My Organisation?

Paper #4 Skills-First: Policy and Impact

Paper #5 Skills-First: Opportunities for Collective Action

(To be Released)

To be Released

Paper #6 Skills-First: A Framework for Action

(To be Released)

To be Released

IHRP Jobs-Skills Insights

Skills-First Talent Attraction For Business Impact

The Key to Productivity and Growth: Building a Skills-First Workplace

Charting a New HR Course: Success through Digital Transformation

Driving the People Agenda of The Future

Skills-first Practices Resources

Skills Demands for Future Economy Reports (SDFE)

Analysis of future skill requirements across key economic sectors and emerging competencies.

View Resource

SkillsFuture Jobs-Skills Insights (JSI)

Real-time labor market intelligence platform with data-driven insights on job trends and skill demands.

View Resource

Explore More

Job Redesign Centre of Excellence (JRCoE)

Engage with JRCoE for advanced HR research and job redesign strategies.

Learn More

Human Capital Diagnostic Tool HCDT

Organizations join as corporate partners to collaborate and benefit from various HR resources and networks.

Learn More

IHRP Playbook

Utilization of the IHRP Playbook, which offers best practices and strategies for HR excellence..

Learn More

Transform your talent strategy to drive bottom-line results

Career Health SG helps employers unlock hidden potential in their existing workforce through skills-first planning. While both internal capability building and external hiring are important, organisations that develop from within first tend to enjoy immediate productivity gains, deeper employee engagement, and sustainable business growth.

Ready to start? Explore our solutions tailored to every stage of your skills journey.

Internal Capability Building

External Hiring

What can IHRP do for you

Internal Capability Building

Grow and retain your staff for better reliability

Developing from within strengthens a workforce you already know and trust, reduces hiring friction, and shows employees their growth matters. It builds long-term resilience by ensuring future hiring complements your existing strengths instead of replacing them.

Assess

Conduct a company-wide skills stocktake to identify critical skills for business growth and gaps in your current workforce.
Use TalentTrack to:
- Understand emerging and in-demand skills in your industry.
- Obtain tailored training insights for your workforce.
- Benchmark training grant utilisation against industry peers.
Leverage the Career Conversations Guidebook to structure meaningful discussions that explore employees’ strengths, aspirations, and career development.

Chart

Develop a skills roadmap that aligns workforce capability development with long-term business strategy.
Prioritise internal skills enhancement before looking externally.
Use TalentTrack+ to chart career and skills pathways for employees.
Plan interventions such as job rotations, mentorships, and targeted training to close identified gaps.
Use the Career Conversations Guidebook to co-create actionable career development plans, where employees can define development goals, and explore pathways beyond traditional promotions.

Execute

Upskill and reskill employees through structured training, leveraging tools such as Skills Frameworks, SkillsFuture for Business course directory, and Career Conversion Programmes (CCP).
Redesign job roles with Job Redesign solutions to better match employees’ skills to evolving business needs.
Recognise, reward, and promote employees who successfully transition into enhanced roles, reinforcing a culture of adaptability and growth.

Success Story

Empowering Growth: How MOBI and Coaching Are Shaping a Skills-First Future at OCBC

OCBC is future-proofing its workforce with a skills-first strategy powered by AI, coaching, and learner autonomy, turning career growth into a personalised and actionable journey.

Read The Full Story

GROW at Grab: Unlocking the full potential of our workforce

In a rapidly changing and competitive landscape, the ability to innovate and grow depends on accessing the right skills, not just headcount.

Read The Full Story

Skills-First Practices Resources

Career Transition Insights Tool

Explore career transition pathways – pivot your staff into in-demand growth roles and build alternative talent pipelines for hard-to-fill roles, based on occupation and skills similarities, labour market insights and salary data Learn how to become a Jobs-Skills Portal Partner for free access to the Career Transition Insights Tool via the button below.

Find Out More

TalentTrack

Your one stop free-to-use skills dashboard

Understand the in-demand and emerging skills needed for your industry
Obtain skills and training insights for your industry, curated for your workforce
Track your training grant utilisation against others in your industry

Find Out More

TalentTrack+

Use advanced HRTech tools for more in-depth workforce planning

Benchmark your employee skills readiness against the requirements of their current and future job roles
Identify and close identified skills gaps with personalised training recommendations
Map out viable career progression pathways based on skills adjacencies
Facilitate meaningful career conversations between employees and supervisors

Find Out More

Support Systems List

Explore the SkillsFuture for Business course directory and unlock your business’s full potential. All courses in the directory are subsidised.

Training Subsidies

Defray training costs through subsidies of up to 90% by SkillsFuture Singapore.

Extra Support: SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC)

Tap on SkillsFuture Enterprise Credits to offset costs.

Extra Support: Absentee Payroll

See the full breakdown, check eligibility, and learn how subsidies apply.

Explore More

Job Redesign Centre of Excellence (JRCoE)

Engage with JRCoE for advanced HR research and job redesign strategies.

Learn More

Human Capital Diagnostic Tool HCDT

Organizations join as corporate partners to collaborate and benefit from various HR resources and networks.

Learn More

IHRP Playbook

Utilization of the IHRP Playbook, which offers best practices and strategies for HR excellence.

Learn More

External Hiring

Focus on proven skills to avoid hiring mistakes

Strategic external hiring brings in specialised skills and fresh thinking to meet urgent business needs that internal development may not yet cover. By identifying roles where external talent is essential, HR professionals can quickly close capability gaps, access emerging expertise, and enhance workforce agility while complementing internal growth.

Assess

Identify which critical skills cannot be developed internally within the required timeframe.
Analyse external labour market data to validate which roles or capabilities truly require external hiring.

Chart

Develop a skills-first recruitment strategy that clearly defines the capabilities needed for business growth.
Build role profiles around skills and potential, not just qualifications or past job titles.
Consider complementary hiring — bringing in external talent to enhance, not overshadow, your internal workforce.

Execute

Use technology-enabled sourcing platforms and industry networks to find candidates with emerging or adjacent skills.
Integrate new hires effectively through clear onboarding plans that align them to your company’s culture and workforce strategy.
Balance external recruitment with internal growth to avoid over-dependency on external hiring.

Success Story

Reinventing Talent: How Accenture Singapore Is Shaping the Future of Work with a Skills-First Approach

Discover how Accenture Singapore is redefining recruitment with a bold, skills-first strategy that empowers talent to thrive in an AI-driven world.

Read The Full Story

Skills-First Practices Resources

Career Transition Insights Tool

Find Out More

TalentTrack

Your one stop free-to-use skills dashboard

Understand the in-demand and emerging skills needed for your industry
Obtain skills and training insights for your industry, curated for your workforce
Track your training grant utilisation against others in your industry

Find Out More

TalentTrack+

Use advanced HRTech tools for more in-depth workforce planning

Benchmark your employee skills readiness against the requirements of their current and future job roles
Identify and close identified skills gaps with personalised training recommendations
Map out viable career progression pathways based on skills adjacencies
Facilitate meaningful career conversations between employees and supervisors

Find Out More

Support Systems List

Explore the SkillsFuture for Business course directory and unlock your business’s full potential. All courses in the directory are subsidised.

Training Subsidies

Defray training costs through subsidies of up to 90% by SkillsFuture Singapore.

Extra Support: SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC)

Tap on SkillsFuture Enterprise Credits to offset costs.

Extra Support: Absentee Payroll

See the full breakdown, check eligibility, and learn how subsidies apply.

Explore More

Job Redesign Centre of Excellence (JRCoE)

Engage with JRCoE for advanced HR research and job redesign strategies.

Learn More

Human Capital Diagnostic Tool HCDT

Organizations join as corporate partners to collaborate and benefit from various HR resources and networks.

Learn More

IHRP Playbook

Utilization of the IHRP Playbook, which offers best practices and strategies for HR excellence.

Learn More

What Can IHRP Do For You

Partner for Workforce Excellence

IHRP supports organisations at every stage of their talent journey—offering professional certification, practical tools, and evidence-based insights. From building internal capabilities to shaping external hiring strategies, IHRP equips HR teams and business leaders with the guidance, resources, and network to create a skills-first, future-ready workforce.

Upskill Yourself

Build future-ready capabilities and recognise growth.

Take accredited courses to strengthen key HR skills.
Earn Skills Badges to recognise and showcase your capabilities.

Explore

IHRP Certification

Validate your HR skills. Get certified and stand out. IHRP Certification affirms your capabilities as a trusted HR professional driving career and workforce transformation.

Explore

Role and Skills Badges

Recognise growth. Signal readiness.

Role Badges validate your ability to perform effectively in specific HR roles.
Skills Badges showcase your mastery of critical HR competencies.

Explore

Events & Learning Opportunities

Stay connected, inspired, and equipped to drive Career Health.

Discover a range of upcoming events curated for HR professionals. These sessions offer insights into emerging HR practices, opportunities to build future-ready skills, and platforms for collaboration with industry partners on practical workforce topics.

Explore

Job Redesign Resources

By rethinking roles and workflows, companies can ensure jobs remain relevant, motivating, and growth oriented.

Explore these resources to kickstart your journey:

Quick reads to kickstart your redesign journey (Playbooks)

Access practical guides and Playbooks to understand the principles and process of job redesign.

Join a 1-day hands-on workshop (JR Workshop)

Learn how to apply job redesign frameworks through real-world exercises and peer sharing.

Assess your readiness for Job Redesign (JRET)

Use JRET to assess company readiness, prioritise roles, and track job redesign outcomes.

Explore

Explore More

Job Redesign Centre of Excellence (JRCoE)

Engage with JRCoE for advanced HR research and job redesign strategies.

Learn More

Human Capital Diagnostic Tool HCDT

Organizations join as corporate partners to collaborate and benefit from various HR resources and networks.

Learn More

IHRP Playbook

Utilization of the IHRP Playbook, which offers best practices and strategies for HR excellence.

Learn More

IHRP Celebrates A Decade of Shaping Purposeful HR.