Singapore Wants To Be An E-commerce Hub as Asia's Digital Economy Grows
Singapore wants to become a leading e-commerce hub in Asia - but there may be challenges ahead. As the pandemic reshapes consumer behaviour worldwide, more and more people in the region are shopping online and Southeast Asia's digital economy saw significant growth. "E-commerce in Southeast Asia - it's surging. But what sets Singapore apart (is) its policies and its initiatives that help cultivate an environment for the digital industry and the digital economy to thrive," said Ben King, country director at Google Singapore. Still, the city-state faces a skills shortage for digital talent - and that's critical for its ambition to become a global e-commerce player, he told CNBC's Christine Tan. The problem that we're seeing is not necessarily jobs - it's skills. There's an urgent need to help the workforce build digital skills to take on these jobs. - Ben King, Country Director at Google Singapore. To address the issue, the governmen