About the Economist Service

Macroeconomic stability lies at the core of economic policy formulation in every country.

We constantly monitor economic developments around the world and analyse their impact on Singapore’s growth, inflation and business costs as well as its domestic sectors and labour market. As Singapore is deeply integrated into the global economy, developments in neighbouring countries and our key trading partners can have a significant impact on us.

In our surveillance work, we apply sound macroeconomic principles and rigorous quantitative techniques as well as regularly exchange views with private sector analysts and seek industry feedback from economic agencies such as the Economic Development Board (EDB) and International Enterprise Singapore (IES).

Our timely analyses of economic developments help policymakers formulate appropriate and prudent policy responses and measures.

Public policies in Singapore often deal with difficult trade-offs, and the costs and benefits of each policy need to be carefully considered. We conduct rigorous economic research and analysis to evaluate policies and aid policy formulation.

We have done cost-benefit analysis of large-scale projects like the Integrated Resorts (IRs), and have conducted evaluations of policies and programmes like the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme (WIS) and the Special Risk Initiative (SRI) through survey and econometric methods.

We also develop projections of key policy parameters using forecasting models and review pertinent economic literature to keep policymakers informed of the latest thinking in economics.

We contribute to policies in a wide range of economic and social areas, including fiscal policy, manpower policy, land and property market issues as well as, land transport, healthcare and education policy amongst others.

Our economists also support the work of key high-level committees such as the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) and the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council (NPCEC).

We occasionally publish our non-confidential research in MTI’s Economic Survey of Singapore (ESS).

"What I find most satisfying about my job in the ES is the opportunity to contribute first-hand to the policy-making process in Singapore. By applying economic analysis backed by sound theory and evidence, economists are often able to bring new perspectives to the issue at hand, and this is something well appreciated by policymakers.

Within my labour portfolio, I have worked on a diverse range of issues such as the impact of foreign worker policies on our economy’s competitiveness and future growth; the pros and cons of having a minimum wage and how it compares to our existing Workfare Income Supplement in terms of helping the poor; and whether increasing productivity can lead to higher real wages. Although all these are big and challenging policy issues, rest assured that you will not be tackling them alone.

In the ES, you will find many other bright, highly talented individuals who are passionate about public policies. You will be working with them, bouncing your ideas off them, and having robust debates with them on myriad policy issues!"

Guo Jiajing, Economist
Growth, Income and Productivity Unit, Economics Division

If you perform well, you may be offered scholarships to pursue full-time Master's or PhD degrees at top local and overseas universities.

Read about Christopher Saw in Meet our Economists who is currently pursuing a PhD in Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, on the ES Postgraduate Scholarship.

Our economists are encouraged to participate in external courses, workshops and conferences to deepen their economic knowledge and expertise. As an economist, you will have the opportunity to attend local and overseas summer schools and conferences to learn new empirical techniques, as well as keep abreast of the latest economic research and policy initiatives. Over the years, our economists have attended various academic (e.g., American Economic Association and Royal Economic Society), and industry-related (e.g., Gartner) conferences.

There are numerous platforms within the Civil Service for you to present your research findings.

The Economic Studies Forum – chaired by the Permanent Secretary for MTI – is a key platform where ES officers present their research findings to senior policymakers. In support of policy discussions, economists also present their research at various cross-ministry platforms to Ministers and senior government officials.