Singapore's Data Protection Job Market Still Hot in 2021

In the wake of the ongoing pandemic situation across the globe, many industries, such as the hospitality and retail sectors, are still trying to pick up the pace and return to somewhat normal levels of business. In comparison to the time before the pandemic, new sets of skills including those related to data protection expertise are required. 

The Data Protection Excellence (DPEX) Centre, the learning and research arm of Straits Interactive, released its annual survey of data protection-related jobs available in Singapore on 8 December 2021 and hosted a webinar discussing insights into the data protection industry and the related job trends. 

In 2021, data protection jobs remain on the rise in Singapore with a year-on-year increase of 54% for dedicated data protection officer (DPO) roles. 

To find out more about the data protection-related job opportunities available, check out our forums here where job listings are specially curated for DPEX Network members. 

The annual survey estimates that approximately 3,700 data protection-related jobs were created in 2021 amidst uncertain COVID-19 conditions. The steady increase of the jobs in the field is largely related to the new data protection laws in the region and increasing requirements for the appointment of a DPO. Overall, the demand for all jobs requiring data protection expertise increased by 26% in 2021 compared to 106% in the previous year.

Click here to read more about the research on Singapore Data Protection Job Demand Research in 2020. 

There is expected to be a strong demand for data protection expertise in the coming years, as countries like China, Indonesia, and Thailand roll out new data protection laws, which all require a data protection officer or similar roles. Therefore, data protection expertise will be in short supply, exacerbated by ongoing data breaches and the effects of the pandemic.

Find out what it takes to be a DPO and the roadmap to get you there here.

Notable findings:

• • 54% annual increase for specific DPO positions in 2021
• • 9 in 10 of the vacancies (93%) were permanent positions despite uncertainty due to the pandemic
• • Approximately  half of the data protection jobs (48%) were managerial positions and above
• • Top 3 industries hiring data protection expertise: Business Services (including accounting, consulting and legal), Banking & Financial Services, and IT-related companies

Keep an eye out for the summary of the Data Protection Job Trends 2021 webinar to learn more about how hot the data protection market currently is and what the prospects are for DPOs!