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The Singapore Civil Service is the bureaucracy of civil servants that supports the Government of Singapore. Along with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), statutory boards, and other independent government bodies, the civil service makes up the overall public service of Singapore.[1] As of 2022, the civil service has about 87,000 employees.[2]
Thomas Friedman of The New York Times considers the Singapore Civil Service to be one of the most efficient and uncorrupt bureaucracies in the world, with a high standard of discipline and accountability.[3] It is also considered a key contributor to the success of Singapore since its independence.
Other commentators have argued that the persisting dominance of the People's Action Party (PAP) on the civil service has led to complacency and groupthink, with the supporting ministries being resistant to alternative views and fundamentally unprepared for a change of government.[4][5]
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The Civil Service was inherited from the British system. Since Singapore's independence in 1965, the Civil Service has been closely tied with the governing People's Action Party (PAP).[6][7]
One of the ways by which the service recruits Singaporeans is through the competitive Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship. These full-ride scholarships are awarded to prospective undergraduate and post-graduate students based on their academic performance and extra-curricular activities; they are not need-based scholarships. Upon graduation, PSC Scholars are mandated to work in the Civil Service for a number of years on a bond, usually ranging from 4 to 6 years. Scholars must repay the bond if they choose to resign from the Civil Service before the completion of their mandated service. Many scholars who have remained in government have gone on to hold senior positions. Many Singaporean ministers are also drawn from the Civil Service, particularly from government scholars.[8][9]
The highest-ranking civil servant within a ministry is known as the permanent secretary. Permanent secretaries in each ministry used to be permanent in their postings. The current practice is to rotate them in various ministries every few years.[10]
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The highest-ranking civil servant in Singapore is the Head of the Civil Service. The incumbent Head of the Civil Service is Leo Yip, who took office in September 2017. He also holds the position of Permanent Secretary at both the Strategy Group, and National Security and Intelligence Coordination (NSIC) under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).[11]
The Singapore Government also appoints a cabinet minister to take charge of the operational responsibilities in the public service division and its integrity of the service, where the minister is duly liable to the Parliament of Singapore as well. The current minister appointed to this designation is Chan Chun Sing. Chan is serving concurrently as Minister with the Ministry of Education (Singapore).[12]
The salary of civil servants is organised into grades, with employees also being entitled to bonuses.[13][14] The salary of Members of Parliament (MPs), Cabinet ministers, judges, the attorney-general, speaker, and auditor general are also based upon this scale.[15] Salary grades generally begin with one or two letters, and end with a corresponding number. The top civil service grades are grades 1 to 4, upon which ministerial salary is also pegged.[15][16]
Civil servants comprise four divisions: I (administrative and professional); II (management executives (MX)); III (Technical Support Scheme, Corporate Support Scheme, and Management Support Scheme);[17] and IV (the Operations Support Scheme (OSS): manual workers and other unskilled labour).[18] Division I employees are divided into Staff, Superscale and Timescale grades, in order of seniority, with superscale employees consisting of permanent secretaries and directors as well as their deputies.[19] In 2017, the formal divisional categories were abolished.[20]
For most civil servants, the pay scale consists of ranges rather than specific fixed salaries, and the actual salaries of civil servants can vary widely depending on performance and other factors.[21]
| Division I Grade | Salary point | Position (general services) | Position
(departmental services, statutory boards) |
Political appointments | Annual salary
(approx., SGD) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (MR1) | Staff grade IV, V | Permanent secretary | Director | Minister | 1,920,000 | [16] |
| 2 (MR2) | Staff grade III | Permanent secretary | Director | Minister, president | 1,680,000 | [16] |
| 3 (MR3) | Staff grade II | Permanent secretary | Director | Minister | 1,440,000 | [16] |
| 4 (MR4) | Staff grade I | Permanent secretary | Director | Minister, speaker | 1,200,000 | [16] |
| 5 (SR5) | Superscale B | Permanent secretary | Director | Senior Minister of State | 1,020,000 | [16] |
| 6 (SR6) | Superscale C | Permanent secretary | Director | Minister of State | 840,000 | [16] |
| 7 (SR7) | Superscale D | Deputy secretary | Deputy director, superintendent | Senior Parliamentary Secretary | 624,000 | [16] |
| 8 (SR8) | Superscale E | Deputy secretary | Deputy director, superintendent | Parliamentary Secretary | 456,000 | [16] |
| 9 (SR9) | Superscale G | Deputy secretary | Deputy director, superintendent | 200,000 – 260,000 | [23] |
| Grade | Monthly salary
(approx., SGD) |
|---|---|
| Advanced Practice Nurse | 5,100 – 8,800 |
| Nursing Officer I | 4,400 – 7,500 |
| Nursing Officer II | 3,500 – 6,000 |
| Senior Staff Nurse I | 3,000 – 5,100 |
| Senior Staff Nurse II | 2,600 – 4,600 |
| Staff Nurse I | 2,150 – 3,750 |
| Staff Nurse II | 1,800 – 3,100 |
| Principal Enrolled Nurse I | 2,250 – 3,750 |
| Senior Enrolled Nurse I | 2,000 – 3,450 |
| Senior Enrolled Nurse II | 1,700 – 3,000 |
| Enrolled Nurse I | 1,550 – 2,600 |
| Enrolled Nurse II | 1,350 – 2,250 |
| Grade | Example occupation | Monthly salary
(approx., SGD) |
|---|---|---|
| I | Chief Technical Executive | 5,900 – 7,700 |
| II | Senior Principal Technical Executive | 4,850 – 6,600 |
| III | Principal Technical Executive | 3,700 – 5,700 |
| IV | Senior Technical Executive | 3,000 – 4,800 |
| V | Technical Executive | 2,700 – 4,200 |
| VI | Admin Secretary | 1,900 – 3,300 |
| VII | Technician | 2,000 – 3,000 |
| VIII | Technician | 1,200 – 2,700 |
The salaries of political appointments, such as the MPs and the speaker of Parliament, are ratios of the MR4 salary. While new ministers salaries start off at the MR4 grade, the prime minister may increase a minister's pay grade at his discretion.[16] While the salaries of political leaders are generally fixed upon the pay grades, the salaries of civil servants may vary greatly. For example, the MR4 discount of being only 60% of the median top salary is done only for ministers, "to reflect the ethos of sacrifice that political service involves", and does not apply to civil servants.[30]
The salaries of high-ranking civil servants in Singapore are some of the highest in the world, and are pegged to the salaries of the top-earning Singaporeans. This has led to some criticising the government for overpaying its employees. In response, the government has maintained that a high pay is necessary to prevent corruption, attrition, and the influence of outside money in the public service, as well as to attract talent from the private sector.[31]
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Civil servants need to declare casino visitation within a week if they went to 2 local casinos more than four times a month, or if they have bought an annual entry pass.[32]
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