Singapore's ICT sector outlook for 2019

With the world moving towards a digital age, it's not surprising to see the ICT sector growing strong.

In fact, a new survey from SP Jain School of Global Management, Singapore (SP Jain) found that 68% of respondents from Singapore anticipate strong growth for the ICT industry in 2019.

With over 100 ICT professionals from various industries, the IT Management Conclave Industry Survey 2018 was led by Dr. Karippur Nanda Kumar, associate professor and area head of IT of SP Jain.

Zooming in on respondents from Singapore, other findings from the survey include:

• 83% indicated that digital transformation is the top priority for IT spending for 2019.
• 53% expected an increase in ICT employees in their organisation in 2019 compared to 2018.
• 91% viewed fostering innovation and agility as the top two attributes of a digital leader, with other important attributes including digital visionary and building digital talent.
• Respondents indicated that leaders in their organisation are least effective in providing a clear digital vision and facilitating aggressive investment in agile and disruptive technologies.

Dr. Kumar, said: "Lack of digital vision and lack of innovative thinking throughout the business are found key organisational barriers for digital transformation. Transforming legacy systems and adopting new platforms are key challenges in building a digital enterprise in Singapore and the region. Business and IT Leaders from Singapore need to provide a clear digital vision and facilitate more aggressive investment in agile and disruptive technologies so as  to build successful digital enterprises."

The survey findings were released at the annual IT Management Conclave 2018 on Friday (5 October) which had a theme on ‘Leadership and Governance in the Digital Age: Building Successful Digital Enterprises’.

The event was graced by guest of honour Cherian Varghese, regional managing director and vice president, ASEAN and SAGE Cluster at Oracle, and attended by over 100 senior leaders and industry players.

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