Purpose-driven and tech-powered: The new face of social services

The social service sector in Singapore has long grappled with a familiar set of workforce challenges: high burnout rates, limited resources, and difficulty attracting and retaining talent. Yet, as technology accelerates and expectations of modern workplaces evolve, the sector is beginning to reframe itself—not as a laggard, but as a dynamic field where innovation and purpose converge.

For Anjan Ghosh, Group Director of Capability Group at the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), building a strong workforce lies at the heart of sustained and effective social service delivery. “A skilled social service workforce is key to meeting the changing social needs of individuals and families in Singapore,” he told HRM Asia.

Today, that workforce numbers more than 20,000 professionals in diverse roles—ranging from social workers and psychologists to occupational therapists, speech therapists, and corporate executives. Behind the numbers lies an ambitious vision: to ensure that talent remains both attracted to and supported within the sector.

Talent pipelines have been a strategic focus for NCSS, which works with the Ministry of Social and Family Development to attract new entrants through scholarships and awards. The agency also launched the Social Service Tribe movement in 2018, uniting practitioners under a shared identity and purpose. More recently, it held the first national Social Service Professional Awards, with the highest honours presented by the President of Singapore—an important signal of the sector’s value to society.

“This shows how vital their work is to society, and we hope more will join the sector,” Ghosh added.

Investment in professional growth underpins this vision. Through the Professional Capability Grant, practitioners can pursue higher education and specialised training, while senior leaders access subsidised short courses and continuing education at the Social Service Institute. Complementary leadership programmes like 40-Under-40 and the Sun Ray Scheme are also nurturing a new generation of leaders, providing mentorship, cross-sector networking, and opportunities to lead transformation across agencies.

Equally important, Ghosh noted, is ensuring that organisations themselves can support their people effectively. “NCSS has also injected more than S$100 million (US$78 million) into the Transformation Sustainability Scheme, to equip SSAs with stronger human resource practices and digitalisation capabilities, among others, to support their employees in delivering effective social services,” he said.

Technology as a talent magnet

Technology adoption has been another game-changer for the sector. Since 2022, NCSS has invested over S$34 million (US$26.5 million) through the Community Capability Trust to support the adoption of digital solutions by more than 250 social service agencies (SSAs).

Ghosh elaborated, “Technology not only helps our professionals to be more efficient, but it is also transforming how social services are delivered and accessed by those who need them. This transformation dispels long-held pre-conceived notions that the social service sector is not as innovative as other industries.”

“This presents an opportunity for us to attract a new generation of talent who are comfortable with data and technology. When SSAs adopt technology, they signal a commitment to modernisation and efficiency, which are attractive to top talent and others who expect digitally-enabled workplaces. For existing employees, it is a critical retention tool that reduces administrative burden and streamlines processes, so that they can focus on the work that they are trained for.”

One example is the Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP). Before digitisation, its two-person fundraising team manually processed up to 8,000 donor registrations, creating months-long delays and frequent data inconsistencies. By moving to a paperless system, BMDP not only streamlined donor experience—providing automated updates and reassurance—but also improved employee satisfaction.

“By eliminating tedious manual work, BMDP created a more attractive work environment that enables their employees to shift their focus on nurturing partnerships and raising funds,” Ghosh added.

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Looking ahead, Ghosh has identified three core skill sets that will be non-negotiable for the social service workforce in the next decade: digital literacy, data knowledge, and human-centric collaboration.

He said, “As technology becomes more integrated into service delivery, digital literacy, including understanding and knowledge of automation and AI, will be essential for professionals to use and apply new tools confidently. Secondly, with growing reliance on insights to guide decision-making, data knowledge, data analytics, visualisation, and data protection will allow professionals to plan and act in ways that are evidence-based and responsive to evolving needs. Finally, human-centric collaboration remains key. While technology can enhance efficiency, the heart of social service work lies in building meaningful connections and impactful partnerships.”

To build these capabilities, NCSS is embedding these via its IDEAL framework—an Innovative, Data-powered, Efficient, Accessible, and Linked social service sector. Events like TribeX at the Social Service Summit spotlight tech and data while reinforcing the people-first ethos that underpins the industry.

Resilience and wellbeing as a lesson for business

If social services excel at one thing, it is resilience—honed by supporting clients through life’s upheavals. What can corporates borrow? “The social service sector has rolled out programmes to support employee wellbeing, as our professionals help individuals and families through major life changes,” Ghosh reflected. “We understand that strong support systems must back meaningful work.”

Key tactics include supervisor training to spot stress early, especially in junior staff, alongside sabbatical schemes and an online wellness hub for mental health resources. Internally at NCSS, a peer-to-peer network deploys Mental Health First Aid-trained colleagues as “listening ears” to address work-related stress. These are not perks, they are preventives, curbing burnout in a field where emotional labour runs high.

Singapore’s social service sector stands at a pivot: challenged by talent gaps yet turbocharged by tech. Under leaders like Ghosh, NCSS is scripting a narrative of innovation and inclusion, where digital prowess meets human heart. As Ghosh puts it, a “strong and skilled social service workforce, augmented by technology, is critical to meet changing social service delivery needs.”