DPOs are in hot demand! Data Protection Job Trends 2021 Webinar Summary

Straits Interactive and DPEX Network presented this webinar on 8 December 2021, as strong demand for data protection expertise is likely to continue in the next few years. 

Countries like China, Indonesia and Thailand have introduced or plan to soon roll out their new data protection laws, all of which have requirements for a data protection officer (DPO) or DPO-related roles. Thus, expect a shortage of such expertise, which will be aggravated by ongoing data and privacy breaches, as well as continuing post-pandemic conditions. 

As a DPO or a professional interested in a career in data protection, you might have considered the following questions: 

• • What kind of data protection/privacy roles are in demand?
• • Are they dedicated DP roles or double-hat roles?
• • What are my career prospects in this field?
• • How can I become a DP professional and what kinds of courses can I take to deepen my knowledge and skill set?

During the session, which focused on the research findings of a study conducted by DPEX Centre, the research arm of Straits Interactive, Straits CEO Kevin Shepherdson, engaged with Lyn Boxall, Director of Lyn Boxall LLC, a Singapore law firm specialising in data protection/privacy, to discuss the key trends and implications for organisations and DP professionals.

To watch the webinar in full, please sign up to be a DPEX Network community member, log in and visit the Resources > Videos section on www.dpexnetwork.org.

Click here to view the webinar highlights on our YouTube page.

As a result of the enforcement of Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and the introduction of stricter penalties, senior management has begun paying attention to operational compliance with the data protection law. In this webinar, DPEX centre released findings of its annual research which seeks to gauge market demand for data protection professionals in the current year and project the trends moving forward. 

Despite the pandemic, data protection (DP) jobs are still increasing in 2021 further reflecting the upward trend for DP jobs. It is noteworthy that most of these positions are permanent. 

The research shows a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49% for data protection jobs over the past five years. An increase in the hiring of DPOs has been observed as organisations have realised that the DPO alone is not sufficient to support the data protection management programme (DPMP) after it has been implemented and more manpower is required.

 The results of the job research indicate that various issues impacting organisations and individuals will arise. One key area is the need for trained employees to sustain the organisation’s data protection management programme (DPMP). 

Individuals and professionals alike can acquire data protection expertise by leveraging their existing knowledge in areas such as IT and compliance, matching that with relevant skills needed in a data protection/privacy management programme and gaining knowledge of the data protection laws. Fast track your data protection career by enrolling in courses to obtain data protection knowledge and industry-recognised certifications in a streamlined manner.  

Enhance your career prospects and deepen your data protection knowledge by visiting our Courses page and viewing our data protection competency roadmap. 

Other notable findings derived from the webinar include:

• • Job descriptions (JD) are getting more specific in terms of their data protection roles/duties
• • Increasingly mentioned in JDs that candidates will be part of/supporting the Data Protection Committee.
• • This is in line with the fact that double hatting DPOs are facing challenges as they have insufficient bandwidth time to do their DPO duties and would need the support of a Data Protection Committee
• • Increasing references to formal data protection qualifications being preferred (IAPP, SMU Advanced Diploma in DP, Practitioner Cert in Personal DP)

Join the DPEX network community to view the full research findings of the 2021 Data Protection Job Trends webinar which will be available soon at www.dpexnetwork.org/research.

Some of the questions asked during the question-and-answer session that followed the panel discussion included:

• • For landing a job as a Data Protection Officer, how can a fresher have a three-year experience that is typically required for this position?
• • How can a person who is double-hatting convince the management about the significance of having a team comprising people from each department?
• • Do companies in Singapore mandate DPO’s to have certifications?
• • Which training is recommended for a team of 8 people?

To watch the webinar in full, please sign up to be a DPEX Network community member, log in and visit the Resources > Videos section on www.dpexnetwork.org.