ada, China, Germany and Singapore in the field of information and communication technology Can Skills shortages and labour migration in the field of information and communication technology in Canada, China, Germany and Singapore ISBN 978-92-2-032857-6 “The Future of the Work 9 789220 328576 in ICT” Project ILO Skills shortages and labour migration X Skills shortages and labour migration in the field of information and communication technology in Canada, China, Germany and Singapore “The Future of Work in ICT” Project Copyright © International Labour Organization 2020 First published 2020 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. 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Code: SCR-REP Preface The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, United Nations specialized agency dedicated to adopted in June 2019, which calls for, “promoting the advancing opportunities for women and men to acquisition of skills, competencies and qualifications obtain decent and productive work in conditions of for all workers throughout their working lives”. The freedom, equity, security and human dignity. The ILO project also contributes to the achievement of several Sectoral Policies Department promotes decent work Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4 on by supporting the Organization’s tripartite constitu- “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and ents, namely governments, employers and workers, promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”, Goal in creating opportunities and addressing challenges in 5 on “achieving gender equality and empowering all 22 different economic and social sectors at the global, women and girls”, and Goal 8 on “promoting sustained, regional and national levels. inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a key economic sector and generator of jobs and may be This report was prepared by external consultant considered the backbone of the digital economy across Nicola Düll, with the supervision of Shreya Goel, Junior all sectors. It increases productivity and has a profound Project Officer, Hitomi Takeuchi-Nakagome, Project impact on business processes, tasks and the organiza- Manager, Casper N. Edmonds, Head of the Extractives, tion of work across the entire economy. The ICT sector Energy and Manufacturing Unit, Akira Isawa, Deputy represents an opportunity for future employment, par- Director, and Alette van Leur, Director, Sectoral Policies ticularly for young people. Department. External consultants, Elizabeth Fagan and Rebekka Yates edited the report. Recent global developments, namely the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, reflect the strong role Substantial technical contributions were pro- of ICT in the global economy. For example, educa- vided by national consultants including Pang Shi, tional institutions and workplaces have been able to Chinese Academy of Personnel Science in China, maintain continuity by relying on digital technologies. Zhenzhen Ye and Alexandra Cutean, Information Digital health technology has provided successful and and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) in innovative solutions during the pandemic. The dig- Canada, Tim Vetter, Economix Research & Consulting ital economy will also play a key role in “building back in Germany, and Zhihan Yeo, SGTech and Carolyn better” following the pandemic. Poon, the Seed Consulting Group LLP in Singapore. A sincere thank you is also due to Kevin Cassidy, Rapid technological development can also pose sev- Director, and Jennifer Mansey, former Public Policy and eral challenges, such as labour market displacements Communications Officer at the ILO Office for the United and increased inequalities. One potential solution for States, Tomoko Nishimoto, former Regional Director for addressing those issues is investing in the skills and Asia and the Pacific, and Rakawin Leechanavanichpan, capabilities of people. In many countries, the global Programme Officer at the ILO Regional Office for Asia ICT sector is facing a shortage of skilled ICT workers. and the Pacific, Claire Courteille-Mulder, Director, and A lack of skilled labour will constrain future growth and Xiaochu Dai, Deputy Director at the ILO Country Office job creation in the sector. But with the right policies for China and Mongolia, and Annette Niederfranke, in place – including targeted investments in educa- Director at the ILO Country Office for Germany, for tion and skills training in the digital economy, and the their valuable contributions and support in preparing efficient management of labour migration flows – the for and carrying out the country-level fact finding digital economy can make a significant contribution to missions. advancing decent work and inclusive economic growth at the global, regional and national levels. This work also benefitted from valuable input, com- This report is the second outcome of an ILO develop- ments and guidance from a larger group of ILO col- ment cooperation project entitled “The Future of Work leagues, including but not limited to, Hae Kyeung Chun, in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)”. Adrienne Cruz, Adam Greene, Christine Hofmann, This global research project focuses on the anticipated Rafael Peels, Natalia Popova, Valentina Stoevska and need for skilled workers and strategies for addressing Olga Strietska-Ilina. labour shortages, including the scaling up of invest- We are grateful to the Japanese Ministry of Health, ments in ICT education and training, and more efficient Labour and Welfare for its generous and strategic management of ICT specialist migration flows. financial support of this research project. The project strengthens the ILO’s knowledge base Alette van Leur regarding the future of work, skills development and Director effective lifelong learning for all. This is in line with Sectoral Policies Department Contents Preface 3 1.8.1 Governments 35 1.8.2 Employers’ and workers’ Abbreviations and acronyms 9 organizations 36 Executive summary 11 Introduction 15 Chapter 2 Education and skills development 39 Chapter 1 2.1 Education and training for ICT specialists 39 Trends in the ICT sector and labour 2.1.1 Vocational education and training markets in Canada, China, Germany and academic education in ICT and Singapore 19 and related fields 39 1.1. Digitalization 19 2.1.2 Work-based learning and 1.1.1 Technological trends 20 continuous training 43 1.1.2 Adoption of digital technologies 2.2 Skills mismatches, shortages and gaps 47 across sectors 20 2.2.1 Assessing the shortage of ICT 1.2 Trends in the ICT sector in Canada, China, specialists 48 Germany and Singapore 21 2.2.2 Forecasting skills shortages 51 1.2.1 Overview 21 2.2.3 Identifying skills needs and skills 1.2.2 Recent growth 21 gaps 52 1.3 Employment in the ICT sector in Canada, 2.3 Initiatives to attract more women to China, Germany and Singapore 21 ICT-related study fields 55 1.4 Employment and working conditions 2.3.1 Gender differences in enrolment in ICT occupations 22 in ICT study fields 55 1.4.1 ICT specialists by sector 22 2.3.2 Attracting young women to ICT 1.4.2 The role of start-ups 25 study fields 57 1.4.3 Educational level of ICT specialists 26 2.4 Policies and strategies for ICT education, 1.4.4 Wages for ICT specialists 27 training and skills development 58 1.4.5 Working hours 28 2.4.1 Skills development strategies and 1.4.6 Occupational safety and health 29 curricula