The Data Protection Excellence (DPEX) Centre, the learning and research arm of Straits Interactive, today announced a 125% year-on-year increase by companies advertising roles that require data protection qualifications or skills, or that include data protection responsibilities. 

In its annual survey of data protection-related jobs available in Singapore in October/November 2022, there were 695 such positions versus 309 positions in a similar period in 2021.  These included roles for data protection officers (DPOs) and supporting roles, as well as other job roles that included data protection-related duties. An estimated 8,000 data protection-related jobs were created in 2022, a year that saw Thailand and Indonesia introduce and announce new data protection laws.

The survey also showed that 37% of the job positions available either advertised for a data governance role or included data governance as part of the job description.

“The increased demand for data governance-related positions is due to continued digital transformation that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Organisations are now focused on data governance besides data protection to support their business transformation objectives,” said Kevin Shepherdson, CEO of Straits Interactive. 

“Although demand for dedicated data protection officers has dipped as compared to 2021, there was a significant 259% year-on-year increase for job roles citing data protection experience, roles or functions as a requirement.”

The survey, now in its 7th year, highlighted the continued demand for data protection expertise in Singapore, which has achieved a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 59% over the last six years, driven by Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act and more data protection laws in the ASEAN region. 

Recommendations:

• Organisations should get their DPOs formally trained, especially for organisations with a regional presence; individuals interested to explore new career opportunities should also seek recognised certifications 

• Existing DPOs should start transitioning their functional posture and skill sets, from data protection to data governance, to support their organisation’s digital transformation objectives

• As recent new data protection laws are based on the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), those interested in the data privacy field are advised to get internationally certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) if they are interested in specialising in data privacy, or be certified by OCEG if they want to look at data privacy from a governance, risk management and compliance (GRC) perspective

Taking a broader view, Straits Interactive has observed that both Thailand and Indonesia have certain requirements for organisations to appoint a data protection officer under their new laws. In Indonesia alone, it was highlighted by experts that its local market would need as many as 100,000 DPOs over the next few years.

Straits Interactive currently offers all the above courses in partnership with SMU Academy