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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] In Singapore, a unique blend of Confucian values and meritocratic principles has shaped the nation’s public administration. Under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, the government promoted a culture that revered education, discipline, and respect for authority—core tenets of Confucian thought—while ensuring that recruitment and promotion within the civil service were based on objective measures of merit. This dual emphasis enabled individuals from modest backgrounds to rise to leadership positions and helped build an efficient, corruption‑free bureaucracy along with upholding public trust in government institutions.[4] It is also considered a key contributor to the success of Singapore since its independence from Malaysia.

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.[5][6]

Overview

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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).[7][8]

A prominent way in which the civil service recruits Singaporeans is through the limited and highly-competitive Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship. These fully-funded government scholarships are awarded to prospective undergraduate and postgraduate 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. Most Singaporean ministers past and present, were previously merit-based academic scholars who attended elite universities in Singapore and worldwide, and had served various positions within Civil Service, before being selected by the PAP to join politics as their representative in elections and elected government.[9][10]

Lee Kuan Yew often described education as the “great equalizer,” fostering a national commitment to scholarship and self‑cultivation. In practice, this meant that Singapore’s civil service was staffed by highly qualified professionals whose expertise underpinned rational, evidence‑based policymaking. This fusion of cultural heritage with modern meritocracy has not only propelled Singapore’s rapid development but also continues to inform its approach to governance and public policy.[4]

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.[11]

Head of the Civil Service

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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).[12]

Civil Service Minister

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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).[13]

Relationship with Education

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In Singapore, the recruitment of teachers is integrated into the broader civil service framework, where educational professionals are viewed as key public servants. By selecting teachers solely from the top third of their graduating class, the Ministry of Education ensures that only the most capable and high-performing individuals enter the system. This approach reinforces the meritocratic ethos that also underpins the entire civil service.[14][15]

This selective process creates a positive feedback loop. High-caliber teachers deliver superior classroom instruction, which improves student outcomes and contributes to a well-educated, skilled workforce. As these students grow into professionals and future civil servants, they further advance Singapore’s reputation for excellence in both the public sector and private sector of the economy. The success of these individuals, in turn, strengthens the meritocratic model, attracting more top-tier talent into the civil service and the teaching profession. This cyclical effect not only boosts the performance of the public sector but also fosters social mobility and national cohesion.

Salaries

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The salary of civil servants is organised into grades, with employees also being entitled to bonuses.[16][17] The salary of Members of Parliament (MPs), Cabinet ministers, judges, the attorney-general, speaker, and auditor general are also based upon this scale.[18] 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.[18][19]

Civil servants comprise four divisions: I (administrative and professional); II (management executives (MX)); III (Technical Support Scheme, Corporate Support Scheme, and Management Support Scheme);[20] and IV (the Operations Support Scheme (OSS): manual workers and other unskilled labour).[21] 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.[22] In 2017, the formal divisional categories were abolished.[23]

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.[24]

Senior Leadership Pay Grades[18][22][25]
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 [19]
2 (MR2) Staff grade III Permanent secretary Director Minister, president 1,680,000 [19]
3 (MR3) Staff grade II Permanent secretary Director Minister 1,440,000 [19]
4 (MR4) Staff grade I Permanent secretary Director Minister, speaker 1,200,000 [19]
5 (SR5) Superscale B Permanent secretary Director Senior Minister of State 1,020,000 [19]
6 (SR6) Superscale C Permanent secretary Director Minister of State 840,000 [19]
7 (SR7) Superscale D Deputy secretary Deputy director, superintendent Senior Parliamentary Secretary 624,000 [19]
8 (SR8) Superscale E Deputy secretary Deputy director, superintendent Parliamentary Secretary 456,000 [19]
9 (SR9) Superscale G Deputy secretary Deputy director, superintendent 200,000 – 260,000 [26]
MX Pay Grades
Grade Monthly salary

(approx., SGD)

Ref
MX10 7,000 – 11,500 (as of 2015) [27]
MX11 4,700 – 8,600 (as of 2015) [27]
MX12 2,400 – 5,900 (as of 2015) [27]
MX13 3,100 [28]
MX14 1,811 (as of 2019) [29]
MX15 1,614 (as of 2019) [29]
MX16 1,252 (as of 2019) [29]
Nursing Pay Grades (2012)[30]
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
Technical Support Scheme Pay Grades (2015)[27][31]
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
Operation Support Scheme Pay Grades (2013)
Grade Monthly salary

(approx., SGD)

Ref
I 1,700 – 2,200 [32]
II 1,600 – 2,000 [32]
III 1,500 – 1,800 [32]
IV 1,400 – 1,700 [32]
V 1,200 – 1,400 [32]

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.[19] 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.[33]

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 within the private sector. This has led to some criticisms towards the government; either overpaying its employees or crowding out the private sector and reducing the number of highly talented citizens either being employed within the private sector or pursuing entrepreneurship. In response, the government has maintained that a high pay is necessary to prevent corruption, staff attrition, and the influence of outside money in the public service, as well as to attract and retain talent from the private sector.[34]

Code of conduct

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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.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "23 Things Public Officers Should Know". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  2. ^ "The Public Service". Public Service Division, Singapore.
  3. ^ Thomas L. Friedman (14 September 2005). "Singapore and Katrina". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  4. ^ a b "SPEECH BY SENIOR MINISTER LEE KUAN YEW, AT THE INAUGURATION …". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  5. ^ Han, Fook Kwang (1 October 2017). "The politics of dominance: Don't take it to the limit". The Straits Times.
  6. ^ Kuah, Adrian (7 October 2017). "Whither the civil service? The risks of the loss of PAP dominance". The Middle Ground.
  7. ^ "Civil service must never be politicised, says former chief Peter Ho". The Straits Times. 7 December 2017. The civil service and the PAP have worked together for so long that they have developed an "instinctive understanding" of each other.
  8. ^ "Public Service – Are You Really Lovin' It?". Challenge. PS21 Office, Public Service Division, Prime Minister's Office.
  9. ^ "Go East, young bureaucrat". The Economist. 17 March 2011.
  10. ^ "What 'scholar' really means in Singapore". Singapore Business Review. 29 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Former EDB Chairman Philip Yeo's latest biography sheds light on leadership pitfalls | The Peak Singapore - Your Guide to The Finer Things in Life". The Peak Singapore. 6 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Head of civil service Peter Ong to retire on Sep 1, Leo Yip to take over". Channel NewsAsia.
  13. ^ "PMO | Mr CHAN Chun Sing". 24 May 2021.
  14. ^ "How Singapore Developed a High-Quality Teacher Workforce | Asia Society". asiasociety.org. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  15. ^ "Speech by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education, at the Teachers' Conference and Excel Fest 2023". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  16. ^ "Civil Service Mid-Year Payments 2022". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Civil Service Mid‑Year Payment 2023". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  18. ^ a b c "Ministerial Statement by DPM Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on Civil Service NWC Award, Public Sector Salary Revisions and Review of Salary Benchmarks, 29 June 2000". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 2017 Review of Salaries for President, Prime Minister, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Political Appointment Holders and Members of Parliament. National Archives of Singapore. https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/data/pdfdoc/20180301004/Annex%20B%202017%20Review%20Committee%20Report.pdf
  20. ^ "SPEECH BY MR TEO CHEE HEAN,MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AND MINISTER IN-CHARGE OF CIVIL SERVICE, AT PARLIAMENT, 9 APRIL 2007, 3.00 PM". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Civil Service careers made more attractive" (PDF). Public Service Division. 25 October 2007.
  22. ^ a b Quah, Jon (1987). "Public Bureaucracy and Policy Implementation in Singapore". Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science. 15 (2): 77–95.
  23. ^ Liang, Chong Zi (5 January 2017). "Civil servants no longer grouped by education level: Right move but mindset change will take time". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Career Progression, Salaries and Benefits". www.careers.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  25. ^ Jones, David Seth (2002). "Recent reforms in Singapore's administrative elite: Responding to the challenges of a rapidly changing economy and society". Asian Journal of Political Science. 10 (2): 70–93. doi:10.1080/02185370208434211. ISSN 0218-5377.
  26. ^ "MEAN, MEDIAN AND RANGE OF TOTAL ANNUAL REMUNERATION OF MX 9 (SUPERSCALE) GRADE IN CIVIL SERVICE FOR PAST FIVE YEARS". Parliament of Singapore.
  27. ^ a b c d Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore and Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees [2015] SGIAC 348
  28. ^ "Civil Service Salary Structure Review". sprs.parl.gov.sg. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  29. ^ a b c Building & Construction Authority and Amalgamated Unionof Statutory Board Employees [2019] SGIAC 233
  30. ^ Health Sciences Authority and Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees [2013] SGIAC 418
  31. ^ Energy Market Authority and Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees [2011] SGIAC 159
  32. ^ a b c d e Central Provident Fund Board and Amalgamated Union of Public Employees [2013] SGIAC 292
  33. ^ Salaries for a Capable and Committed Government. Public Service Division. 2011. Singapore. https://www.psd.gov.sg/files/white-paper---salaries-for-a-capable-and-committed-government.pdf
  34. ^ Mydans, Seth (10 April 2007). "Singapore's Highly Paid Officials Get Richer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  35. ^ "Tighter casino visit rules for civil servants". Today. Singapore.
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