Over half of eligible Singaporeans aged 30 to 75 have used SkillsFuture credits; expiry of top-up spurred use

Since the SkillsFuture initiative was launched a decade ago in 2015, over one in two eligible Singaporeans aged 30 to 75 have used their credits for courses, with participation spiking in December 2025. 

This surge was due to the one-off $500 credit top-up given in 2020 expiring at the end of 2025, said SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). 

In a media release on Monday (Feb 9), the statuary board said that 606,000 people enrolled in SSG-supported training in 2025, up from 555,000 people in 2024. 

The number of people who used their SkillsFuture Credit in December 2025 was higher than the monthly average across January to November that year. 

Users were most interested in courses from the Information & Communications, Food & Beverages, and Security & Investigation sectors in 2025. 

SSG said 73 per cent of its survey respondents agreed to a large or very large extent that their training improved work performance — an increase from 69 per cent in 2024. 

67 per cent of respondents also attributed their career advancements to their courses as compared with 64 per cent in 2024. 

SSG added that more mid-career individuals are taking courses with direct impact on employability outcomes, including Full-Qualification programmes and SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes (SCTPs). 

A total of 15,000 learners completed their SCTP between June 2022 and June 2025, and 51 per cent found new roles or employment within six months.

The new SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance scheme has also benefited 5,300 eligible individuals who undertook full-time long-form training.

However, employers were more hesitant to send their workers for SSG-supported training, with 23,000 employers doing so in 2025, down slightly from 24,000 in 2024.

A possible reason could be economic and geopolitical uncertainties, said SSG, adding that there was a drop in employer-supported training demand in the second half of 2025.

"To this end, we have recently tightened course approval and course renewal requirements, to ensure that training providers actively engage employers to shape and design high-quality and relevant training for their workers.

"We encourage employers to engage actively in shaping training programmes and investing in workforce development."

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com