Singapore's Engineering Market Update

​Although 2021 has been a challenging year as engineering and construction businesses learnt how to deal with the pandemic era, our clients continue to offer career growth opportunities. The urgency to build new data centres to deal with demand for digital work and play along with the continued need to deal with climate change, creates new opportunities for skills such as ESD (Environmentally Sustainable Design) Consultants, Smart Buildings Consultants, Electrical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, ICT Engineers, and Project Managers.
 
There are also opportunities for Quantity Surveyors, Cost Managers, and Estimators as we deal with the ever-changing construction market here in Singapore. This is partly because lockdowns have caused decreases in factory outputs around the globe and big spikes in freight costs have also seen the cost of raw materials like steel, aluminium, and copper rise up. In parallel with these extra costs, a shortage of labour has been affecting projects as Singapore has had to implement strict border control policies and construction contractors and consultants have had to implement safe management procedures to minimise infection rates at work sites. Experienced commercial managers with strong contract re-negotiation skills are in demand as we deal with the ever-changing construction landscape. “Risk sharing” has now become a significant industry term as construction contracts now need to consider that there may be increased costs in future that no-one has thought of yet.
 
Whilst the past couple of years have been challenging for all, there are still many reasons to be positive about the Singapore construction market. Here is an overview of some of the projects that will continue to be developed in 2022 and the future:

• Changi Region – A live-work-play-learn ecosystem around Changi International Airport that will include the addition of Terminal 5 along with the development of the Changi Aviation Park and Changi City.
• Greater Southern Waterfront – Adding 9,000 new homes onto prime real estate and redeveloping the waterfront area from Pasir Panjang to Marina East as the current PSA ports at Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, and Brani all move to the Tuas Megaport by 2027 (and the Pasir Panjang Terminal by 2040)
• Further town redevelopments including the Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District, and the Woodlands Regional Centre.
• NS Square – The current floating platform near Esplanade Theatre will become a permanent event space that will host National Day celebrations as well as housing a swimming pool and water sports facilities.
• Founders’ Memorial – Construction commences next year on the amphitheatre and surrounding gardens that will pay homage to the founders of Singapore and will be connected to the expanding Thomson East Coast MRT line.
• North-South Corridor – Continued development of the 21.5km transit corridor that takes vehicles underground and frees up much-needed land for recreational purposes as well as increasing traffic efficiency.
• Increases to the railway network with the future additions of the Cross Island Line, Jurong Region Line, and the Singapore-Malaysia Rapid Transit System, the expansion of the Thomson East Coast Line, and the connecting-up of the two ends of the Circle Line.

​If you’re keen to be involved in the projects that will help to shape the country over the next few years, get in touch.