SkillsFuture SG & Workforce SG to be merged into new stat board under MOE & MOM: Budget 2026

The government will merge SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) into a new statutory board jointly overseen by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Education (MOE), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in his Budget Speech on February 12.

This merger will strengthen the integration of Singapore’s jobs-skills ecosystem, according to the joint press release by MOM and MOE.

This will be a "one-stop shop" for skills training, career guidance and job matching services. This came after the ESR committee recommended that the government review the organisation of jobs and skills support for Singaporeans.

Currently, SkillsFuture Singapore under MOE focused on skills training, while MOM engages employers and helps job-seekers find jobs.

While coordination efforts have been made, in an era of faster technological change and job transitions, stronger alignment is needed and systems must work "seamlessly together", PM Wong said.

During the transition, WSG and SSG will continue to provide their usual services until the new agency is ready to take over these functions. There will be no service disruption during this transition, the press release noted.

Achievements of SkillsFuture

The SkillsFuture movement was first launched in 2015, where the training landscape looked "very different". Institutes of higher learning (IHLs) were still largely focused on pre-employment training at the time, but it was not sufficient. SkillsFuture Singapore was then set up in 2016 under the Ministry of Education to embed lifelong learning into the education system.

PM Wong declared that this objective has been achieved, with working adults at all stages of their careers able to access a range of high-quality training options.

Local autonomous universities, polytechnics and ITEs have "internalised" lifelong learning.

The scheme has proved popular with Singaporeans, with over 600,000 individuals taking up training  supported by SkillsFuture, from both IHLs and private trainers.

Top image via Pixabay