GovTech shake-up to affect up to 9% of workforce, 93 officers 'transitioning out'

Some 93 public officers from the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech Singapore) will be leaving the agency as part of a restructuring exercise.

An estimated seven to nine per cent of its workforce will be affected by the exercise, which is happening in three phases over two years.

The first phase impacts a total of 305 officers from GovTech headquarters and from teams forward-deployed to agencies. 

Of these, 102 will remain in their current roles and 110 will take up apprenticeships to transition into other capabilities.

GovTech in a statement on Wednesday (July 15) that it is evolving its operating model as it wants to build and manage its own digital products and platforms "to deliver faster, more secure, and more responsive digital services for all Singaporeans".

"It is not driven by artificial intelligence, nor is it a cost-cutting or downsizing exercise," GovTech stated.

As more products are built and operated in-house, the proportion of traditional project and vendor management roles will gradually decrease, according to GovTech.

The agency is also standardising some services to improve efficiency and effectiveness, with roles tied to these services being consolidated.

According to the agency, "a substantial number of officers" have been successfully redeployed and converted into new roles, and the agency will continue to internally redeploy as many affected officers as possible.

Affected staff in project and vendor management roles are being offered full-salary apprenticeships and structured retraining programmes to help them transition into product ownership and related functions.

'We are grateful'

Officers who are unable to make the transition will receive support, including priority redeployment opportunities within the Public Service and career transition assistance.

A "small number" of officers who will "transition out" of GovTech will receive a comprehensive support package including financial and transition support, career guidance and active job placement assistance.

The first restructuring phase has concluded, with 93 officers transitioning out of GovTech.

Meanwhile, the agency will increase its headcount and hire software engineers, product managers, designers, data specialists, cybersecurity experts, and platform engineers.

Goh Wei Boon, chief executive of GovTech Singapore, said the agency must strengthen its ability to build, run and continuously improve its owned products.

"Citizens and agencies expect digital services that are more secure, reliable and responsive to their needs. This transformation will help GovTech to deliver such services," he added.

Every affected officer will be supported with care and respect through the transition, said Chng Kai Fong, chairman of GovTech Singapore.

"Each of them helped build systems and services that Singaporeans use every day, and for that, we are grateful."

In a note from Chng to GovTech officers, which was seen by AsiaOne, Chng said the leadership team decided against stretching this transition over a longer period.

"Every year of delay leaves critical systems older and widens the gap between what Singaporeans need and what our current model can deliver," he said.

The scope of the next phase of the restructuring will be announced by November 2026.

Union, SWDA supporting affected officers

In a statement on Wednesday, the Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees (AUSBE) said it was informed of GovTech's workforce restructuring plans early and worked closely with the agency to explore alternatives to retrenchment.

An enhanced support package for exiting officers was successfully negotiated, said AUSBE general secretary Gabriel Ng.

These officers will receive one month's salary for every year of service, capped at 25 years, in line with the Collective Agreement.

They will also receive a three-month ex-gratia payment to support reskilling efforts, a pro-rated performance bonus and six months of paid union membership for AUSBE members.

Ng said the union has offered career transition support and employment resources.

Career coaches from NTUC's e2i were on-site to provide personalised career coaching and job matching support for affected Singaporean and Permanent Resident officers, while nearly 30 companies offered more than 300 technology-related vacancies.

NTUC's e2i has also invited affected officers to a curated tech career fair taking place on Aug 4.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Manpower said the new Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) is working closely with GovTech, the Public Service Division (PSD), and other public agencies to facilitate redeployment within the public sector.

SWDA will provide tailored career coaching, job matching and employment support, including curating suitable job opportunities, recommending suitable reskilling pathways and working with appointed employment agencies to broaden access to outplacement opportunities.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com