Coursera, Inc. has unveiled its annual learner trends for Singapore, based on insights from over 1.2 million registered learners – nearly 15% of the population. This strong engagement underscores a national commitment to upskilling and staying competitive in an evolving global economy.
Two key trends emerged in 2024: an unprecedented demand for GenAI learning and a preference for role-specific content to prepare for specific jobs.
According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index 2024, AI skills have become a top hiring priority for Singaporean leaders – 71% stated they wouldn’t hire candidates lacking AI skills, and 77% would prefer less experienced candidates with AI skills over more experienced ones without them.
Reflecting this shift, someone in Singapore enrolled in GenAI content on Coursera every 14 minutes in 2024, cementing its position as a must-have skill for professionals across industries.
In 2024, Coursera saw a 240% surge in GenAI enrollments in Singapore, totaling nearly 50,000. Singapore ranks among the top 15 countries globally for GenAI course enrollments on Coursera, leading Southeast Asia.
While foundational GenAI courses remained popular, there is a notable shift to focusing on workplace applications, highlighting a growing interest in practical uses of the technology.
Beyond AI, Singaporeans continued to pursue perennial favourites like finance, cybersecurity, and data, indicating their interest in versatile skills that blend technical expertise with personal and professional development. “The Science of Well-Being” remained among the top 10 most popular courses, emphasizing the importance of mental and physical well-being alongside work-related skills.
Entry-level Professional Certificates (industry-recognized credentials) that require no prior experience or college degree, also saw a rise in uptake. 50% of the top courses like Google’s Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere, and Foundations of Project Management are part of these programs.
“Singaporean learners embraced the future of work in 2024, prioritizing GenAI and job-aligned, mission-critical skills to stay competitive in an evolving job market. Their progress amidst GenAI’s disruption shows their resilience, adaptability and drive to lead on a global stage,” said Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Coursera.
“In 2025, we expect the global race toward AI literacy to further accelerate, and we remain committed to empowering Singaporean learners with accessible and transformative education for success in the AI-powered world.”
Preliminary insights from Coursera’s Job Skills Report 2025 indicate that Singapore enterprise learner efforts align closely with broader learner trends. GenAI skills were the most-sought-after by Singaporean learners, followed by Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Human Capital Development, and Data Visualization and Analytics, emphasizing the efforts being made to build resilient, future-ready workplaces.
These findings highlight the growing synergy between upskilling initiatives driven by Singaporean institutions and the global workforce requirements. The upcoming report will unveil the fastest-growing job skills for 2025, with its insights drawn from the upskilling patterns of Enterprise learners on Coursera.
