I have spent much of my working life as an academic synthesising large amounts of research and using the appropriate technical methods to analyse the data and present a coherent narrative. 

Until recently, I had assumed that these were fairly durable, highly sought-after professional skills. I am less certain now.

This piece was first published in The Straits Times on 22 September 2026.

Mathew Mathews is head of the Social Lab and principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore. He is also the principal investigator of the GROW study.