Singapore ranks among a handful of key business hubs globally, including the likes of New York, Hong Kong, and London. With its reputation for commerce, the metropolis has attracted key cross-industry players to its shores ranging from Amazon to Citi to Procter & Gamble.
As a study destination, Singapore provides opportunities to enter major industries such as finance, consulting, and tech. At top business schools located on the island, such as Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School (NBS), students land jobs with prestigious Fortune 500 firms like Deloitte and Microsoft.
But what opportunities does Singapore offer for students looking to work in emerging areas? What are some of the cutting-edge industries employing b-school grads in Singapore today?
The hottest career opportunities in Singapore
1. Sustainable tech and renewable energy
Sustainability increasingly defines the shifts occurring across the business landscape. Indeed, 76% of executives in 2024 say sustainability is core to their business strategy.
That’s certainly the case in Singapore. Companies are transitioning toward greener business models and fields such as sustainable tech and renewable energy are rapidly developing as the country implements targets and invests money in areas such as solar power and carbon capture.
For business school students, sustainability and renewable energy provide new avenues for career opportunities. For Justin Lee, who enrolled in the Nanyang MBA after spending four years working in the energy sector, it was the ideal launchpad for the next stage in his career.
“I was interested in Nanyang because I was in the renewable energy space, which is a sustainability-related space and Nanyang was the only school which allowed me to pursue an MBA which specialized in sustainability,” he explains.
Justin used his time in the Nanyang MBA program to expand his connections within the sector and gain industry exposure by attending conferences and events dedicated to finding sustainable solutions.
He was keen to explore opportunities in a sector that he saw as growing exponentially—particularly in Singapore as a place that has an impact across the whole of Asia.
“The entire world is trying to move towards renewables, so there's definitely a lot of growth in this area, especially now I'm looking at Southeast Asia,” he explains.
“There's a lot of growth to be seen in Southeast Asia and Singapore is definitely the right place to be if you want to be part of that growth.”
2. Artificial intelligence
The past two years have seen the birth of a new age, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and constantly changing as the technology continues to evolve.
The emergence of ChatGPT in November 2022 means individuals can now use AI to assist their daily tasks, while corporations are investing large sums of money in increasingly sophisticated AI-driven solutions.
Singapore is rapidly emerging as a leader in AI development as a country that is typically favorable towards technological advancement, explains professor Goh Kim Huat (pictured), associate dean of NBS Graduate Studies and expert in analytics and AI.
“Many tech innovations in Singapore, we allow to the point we see some problems, then we clamp down.”
So far, the country has developed a National AI Strategy which pledges around $750 billion in AI investment over the coming five years. The government is also working closely with large tech companies to encourage usage of AI and build widespread AI skills across major employers.
Eventually, “[AI will] start to change business models—you’ll start to see industries get progressively disrupted or new industries appear,” he says.
This, then, is an area where ambitious business school grads can get ahead in Singapore.
Recognizing its significance, business schools are in turn adapting curriculums to match the need for AI expertise. The Nanyang MBA, for example, offers students opportunities to specialize in the innovative tech via tracks such as AI In Entreprise, and AI With Advanced Predictive Techniques In Finance.
“When entire colleges are created around AI, it means it's going to be here for a very long time—decades, even. This is a global trend,” professor Goh adds.
3. Life sciences and biotechnology
It was life sciences and biotechnology that helped countries across the globe overcome the Covid pandemic. After the pandemic shone a spotlight on this area, life sciences is now a key growth area for governments globally.
No country has invested more money in life sciences than Singapore within the Asia Pacific region in 2024. The country has emerged as an attractive destination for firms in the sector looking for research and development opportunities.
For business school students, life sciences and biotechnology offer employment opportunities across a whole host of functions, including sales and investment, project management, and product management.
For Muieen Cader, who had already achieved some success in his career in venture capital, enrolling in the Nanyang MBA provided an opportunity to enter the life sciences sector and work on a global scale.
Today, Muieen works for the New Orleans BioInnovation Center in the US, specializing in investment opportunities with early stage life science startups across Southeast Asia. He feels the MBA was essential in helping him make steps within this emerging sector.
“I think having the Nanyang MBA made it significantly easier for me to be able to jump into venture capital across Southeast Asia,” he says.
“Having that exposure to the Southeast Asian startup ecosystem, along with the school’s deep-tech startup ecosystem and the programs the school hosts gave me the exposure I need in order to excel at my current position.”
So, if you’re looking for exciting job opportunities in key growth areas within the modern business world, enrolling in an MBA in a dynamic business hub such as Singapore can offer opportunities on both a local and international scale.