Salaries of engineers joining Public Service to rise 20%

SINGAPORE — From the middle of this year, fresh graduates joining the Public Service as engineers will, on average, get 20 per cent more pay, compared with their predecessors. Salaries of engineers currently in the service will also be reviewed and raised where necessary.

Responding to calls from several Members of Parliament to enhance capabilities in the service and increase recognition for its engineers, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced yesterday that the starting salary for engineers in the Public Service will be raised to at least S$3,800 monthly. Fresh graduates joining the service as engineers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will get at least S$4,000 each month.

Mr Teo, who is the Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service, said salaries for engineering and ICT professionals vary across public agencies today, with some lagging significantly behind the market.

The revised starting salaries take reference from what the market pays good engineering graduates, he said during the debate on the budget for the Prime Minister’s Office.

This year, approximately 1,000 more engineers will be employed to boost the Public Service’s existing pool of about 7,700 engineers. Among the new hires, 7 in 10 will be deployed to work on the Republic’s infrastructure needs, including transport and water systems. The rest will support the Smart Nation initiatives.

In the second half of this year, competency frameworks will be developed for engineers in seven public agencies, including national water agency PUB and the Housing and Development Board. Engineers can use this framework to identify their training needs, and develop expertise and mastery in specific areas, said Mr Teo.

He added that the public sector will also make a “more concerted effort” to identify and develop engineers with expertise to take on key scientific, engineering and technical leadership positions in ministries and public agencies. These individuals will receive greater support in their career development and growth, such as mentorship by senior technical experts, and opportunities to work on inter-agency engineering projects and develop networks across the engineering community.

Mr Teo also announced the formation of three “centres of excellence” set up around public agencies which already have a strong base of engineering capabilities: JTC Corporation will focus on infrastructure projects and facilities management services, as well as research and development in innovation, safety and construction productivity. The Defence Science and Technology Agency will collaborate with public agencies to design, build and integrate command systems to enhance operations, and boost the Republic’s push towards building a Smart Nation. The recently-launched Government Technology Agency will look at the digital transformation of the public sector, such as by nurturing ICT officers to improve the delivery of public services to Singaporeans.

These centres will aggregate key capabilities, support other government organisations and build deep engineering expertise where needed. Other centres of excellence in geospatial information science and cybersecurity are also in the works.