Own-account workers are self-employed persons who engage in a trade or business without employing any paid workers. Own-account workers are not only delivery riders and private-hire car drivers but are also real estate and property agents, information and communication technology professionals, science and engineering professionals, and freelancers in the arts, media, creative, entertainment and sports industries. Without a singular long-term employer that can help to facilitate or support their upskilling, own-account workers are left to navigate the complexities of upgrading their skillsets to remain competitive in the workforce on their own. Despite own-account workers making up a third of the global workforce, research on the role technology plays in their work and their digital upskilling needs remains scarce. This research study, funded by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), investigates the following:
1. How digitally ready are Singapore’s own-account workers? What factors influence their digital readiness?
2. What is a baseline set of job-ready digital skills that own-account workers need to meet the demands of the digital economy?
3. What can be done to better match the supply of digital skills training with the needs of the less digitally literate own-account workers?
To answer these questions, we embarked on a three-phased study comprising (1) a systematic literature review, (2) focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with own-account workers, and (3) a pilot study to test the digital skills framework developed for own-account workers.
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