The Forum is a milestone event under the Gen2050 programme, designed to spark critical conversations about global developments and their impact on youths’ lives and futures, exploring how young people perceive and respond to challenges in areas like the future of work and technological advancements. For more information about the Gen2050 programme, please refer to Annex A.

Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Manpower, Mr. Dinesh Vasu Dash, exchanged perspectives on how youths can lead the charge to thrive in an uncertain world during a panel dialogue with industry leaders. Beyond the dialogue, the Gen2050 Youth Action Forum also featured an interactive marketplace with gamified booths to immerse youths in decision-making scenarios, highlighting the complexities of global challenges and the importance of proactive, informed decision-making.

Youths’ aspirations and attitudes towards the future

The survey, conducted by Blackbox Research, found that the majority of youths are aware of and care about global economic developments. The economic uncertainty is a concern and youths said that they hoped to have greater support in career and financial planning.

Amongst key competencies needed to succeed in the workforce, youths surveyed identified communication and interpersonal skills (33 percent), adaptability and lifelong learning (32 percent), and analytical and critical thinking (31 percent) as the most valued competencies.

There is also a demand for more guidance, with 65 percent of youths* indicating that they require more support for career planning. Separately, 58 percent of youths* have also indicated that they need more help with financial planning. [*Within these groups, about 58% are working adults and about 42% are students. This broadly follows the overall sample distribution of the poll.]

Whole-of-Singapore effort to uplift youths and enable them to be changemakers

Half of the respondents recognised that the Government, educational institutions, employers, and the wider society and community do play important roles in supporting them.

The 3P sectors (public, private and people sectors) are helping youths realise their aspirations. The Gen2050 youth action programme by KPMG in Singapore, NYC, and IPRS is one such effort. The programme brings together expertise and support from the 3P sectors in the areas of youth engagement, industry perspectives and mentorship to provide youths with tools, platforms, and opportunities to transform their aspirations into real-world, measurable outcomes.

The Gen2050 youth action programme is part of the SG Youth Plan engagements, a year-long series of engagements to understand youths’ aspirations and concerns. The views and insights garnered from the engagements will directly inform a 5-year action plan on youth development, created by youths, for youths.

“Youths today are discerning in their pursuit of skills — not just chasing trends, but focusing on how these skills can be practically applied to create value in their professions,” said Lee Sze Yeng, Managing Partner, KPMG.“The NYC, KPMG, and IPRS survey highlights that the next generation is deeply aware of the need for practical, impactful skills like applying AI to achieve a multiplier effect in the workplace. This underscores the responsibility of institutions and mentors to guide and empower youths, helping them navigate the complexities of value creation and equipping them for the future of work. With nearly 70 percent of KPMG in Singapore’s workforce comprising youths under 35, we are well-positioned to nurture young talent and enable them to lead and innovate in a rapidly evolving world.”

“Platforms like Gen2050 are useful to connect youths with industry leaders and policymakers, to gain insights into emerging shifts that affect the future of work and the kind of skills and attributes required to stay relevant,” said David Chua, Chief Executive Officer, NYC.

Ross Gan, President, IPRS said: “It’s encouraging to see youth prioritising communications and interpersonal skills as key competencies needed to succeed. In a post-truth world of what’s trending on social media, where artificial intelligence is redesigning how businesses create value, the capacity to communicate with clarity, demonstrate empathy and engage authentically with stakeholders for positive impact has never been more relevant. Through our growing tertiary student chapter network and participation in mentoring programmes such as Gen2050, the IPRS enables industry practitioners to share their hard-earned wisdom with aspiring youth to help them succeed and thrive.”