Opening Address by Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport, at the OneAviation Careers and Education Fair Opening Ceremony 2025

Edmund Cheng, Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)

Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General, CAAS

Ms Dilys Boey, Chief Executive, Workforce Singapore (WSG)

Ms Cham Hui Fong, Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC, 

CEOs of Changi Airport Group, dnata, SATS, Scoot, SIAEC, Singapore Airlines (SIA), 

Representatives from NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster and Aviation sector industry partners

Distinguished guests, 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

1.     Good morning! I am happy to join you today at the OneAviation Careers and Education fair. 

OneAviation Careers and Education Fair: “One Industry. Many Opportunities.” 

2.     This year marks the third edition of the OneAviation Careers and Education fair. Demand for aviation talent continues to be strong, as the sector grows from strength to strength. 

3.     The theme for this year’s fair is “One Industry. Many Opportunities.”. This theme was coined by a team of Temasek Polytechnic Diploma in Aviation Management students who are here with us today. It aptly captures the breadth of opportunities available in this industry, ready for all to discover at this fair. 

4.     As I walked into this hall today, I met 10 aviation professionals, from different parts of the sector. It struck me, as I spoke to them, how diverse their jobs were, each of them consummate professionals in their field. Their individual contributions, as well as the contributions of many others, all come together to deliver the world-class passenger experience we all enjoy at Changi airport and in the skies. 

5.     At today’s event, there are more than 40 aviation employers, educational institutions, and partner organisations exhibiting, and employers are here in full force to conduct live on-site interviews to fill more than 1,500 job vacancies. I hope you will all get to enjoy the fair later, to discover and appreciate the wide variety of aviation careers and try your hand at fun activities like drone soccer and flight simulators. 

Launch of Aviation Jobs Transformation Report 

6.     We all know that Singapore’s Air Hub is a cornerstone and key enabler of our economy. It connects Singapore to the world, and the world to Singapore, and provides good jobs for many Singaporeans. As we look to the future, global aviation demand will continue to be strong, with Asia-Pacific expected to be the fastest growing region. Changi is well-positioned to capture this demand, including with our future Terminal 5. 

7.     To ensure we are ready for the future, we must continue to plan ahead and prepare our workforce to stay competitive and resilient. It is therefore timely that the tripartite partners will be launching a jobs transformation report for the Singapore Aviation sector later today. 

8.     This report is the product of a year-long manpower study commissioned in 2024 by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Workforce Singapore to identify key trends that will impact jobs and skills in the aviation sector in the future. To prepare for this report, CAAS and WSG reached out to more than 200 firms, and worked closely with key aviation partners such as Certis Group, Changi Airport Group, dnata, SATS, SIA Engineering Company, SIA Group, to understand their workforce outlook and trends. CAAS and WSG also consulted widely with NTUC and our Aerospace & Aviation Cluster of unions, and educational institutions. This was the first time that such a comprehensive manpower study of the Singapore aviation sector had been commissioned. 

Sharing of Key Insights  

9.     Let me share 3 key insights from the report, and how we are committed to partnering Singaporeans to seize future opportunities in aviation.

10.    First, the Singapore aviation sector provides many good jobs, directly employing over 60,000 workers. These include the workforce in our airlines, the airport operator, ground handling companies, and also those in safety and security operations, aircraft and systems maintenance, air traffic control, immigration, hospitality and much more.  These are good jobs that provide career longevity, progression and development. It is indeed for Singapore and Singaporeans, “One Industry. Many Opportunities.”.

11.    Second, over the next five years, the jobs and skills in the aviation sector will change. Advancements in technology, in particular Automation and Robotics, Digitalisation, Data and Artificial Intelligence, will transform traditional roles, streamline operations, and raise the bar for technical capabilities. At the same time, shifts in consumer preferences, workforce preferences, and sustainability goals will drive the need for new job functions that prioritise digital service delivery, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. These trends present an opportunity to redesign and create new job roles that are interesting and purposeful. 

12.    Third, the aviation workforce will also evolve to respond to these trends. The report projected that over the next five years, up to 30% of jobs in the aviation sector will be redesigned and transformed, together with a workforce that is reskilled and upskilled. This is exciting as workers will be able to contribute better, working together to making our Changi air hub even more successful! We will invest in training to equip and upskill our aviation workforce with new skills and competencies needed to succeed in a more connected, sustainable, and technology-driven aviation ecosystem. We will undertake these changes together. Some of these changes will be in the ground-handling sub-sector, which is currently manual and labour-intensive. An example is autonomous vehicles, which are in advanced trials and are close to live deployment for baggage towing operations at Changi’s airside. This transformation presents opportunities for our airside equipment operators and drivers to take on new roles with better wages and prospects, such as remote supervision and monitoring of fleets of vehicles. Others will be able to upskill and cross-train to operate a more diverse fleet of ground support equipment, as they spend less time on the road, and contribute to safety-critical activities at the last mile within the aircraft stand. Job redesign may sound daunting to some, but it is a valuable opportunity for workers to upskill, take on higher-value responsibilities, take on higher pay, and future-proof their careers. 

Supporting development of our aviation workforce and workers 

13.    We will support you in your skills upgrading journey. The OneAviation community is dynamic, always evolving and seeking improvements. The tripartite partners will continue to support the sector’s workforce development in three main areas. 

14.    First, we will deepen industry-education partnerships. It is important that the knowledge and skills taught in our educational institutions are current and relevant, and bridges are formed from graduation into direct employment with industry.

a.     I am happy to announce that there will be a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CAAS and 9 Institutes of Higher Learning later this morning. Through the MOU, CAAS will bring the sector and educational institutions together, to systematically develop capabilities and programmes to equip Singaporeans to seize future career opportunities in aviation. They will collaborate to identify training needs, develop curriculums, and provide structured internship programmes and in-house training. 

15.    Second, we will accelerate ecosystem-level investments in technology and R&D to assist our workers and raise productivity. CAAS will lead this transformation effort by initiating the development of a multi-year technology roadmap. While we plan ahead, in the near-term, we must continue efforts to trial, adopt, and scale technologies which are ripe for implementation. 

a.     Later today, AI Singapore, CAAS, Changi Airport Group, SATS and Singapore Airlines will sign an MOU to collaborate on AI solutioning for sector-wide problem statements, and to build up a pool of AI talent for the sector. 

16.    Third, we will provide stronger and more targeted support to companies to transform existing jobs and better support our workers through this journey. I encourage companies and workers to tap on existing NTUC and Government initiatives, such as WSG’s Career Conversion Programmes for job redesign and reskilling efforts. 

17.    At the sectoral level, CAAS and WSG will complement these initiatives to strengthen support to aviation employers and workers. In March 2025, we announced that CAAS would commit $1 billion over the next five years to catalyse action and partnership in four areas of Connectivity, Infrastructure, Technology, and Manpower. 

a.     Of this $1 billion, CAAS will ringfence $200 million for a OneAviation Manpower Fund to support unions, aviation companies, and education providers to better attract, develop, and retain our OneAviation workers.  

18.    WSG will also launch an aviation job redesign playbook later this year to support companies in identifying essential skills for emerging roles and implementing job redesign opportunities effectively. Through this playbook, individuals can also explore diverse job opportunities that align with their career aspirations in the dynamic aviation sector. To complement this, employers can also leverage the national Career Health SG initiative’s suite of tools and resources to support their workers to develop resilient and fulfilling careers in the sector.  

Closing 

19.    The aviation sector will continue to be one that offers a multitude of opportunities to Singaporeans. Recognising the strong growth of the sector in the coming years, we are putting in place the building blocks now to ensure our long term success for Singapore and for Singaporeans.

20.    Whether you are a student or mid-career professional, there has never been a better time to join us and be part of the next chapter of Singapore aviation. 

21.    Thank you, and I wish everyone a fruitful and inspiring careers and education fair.