Since last year, when it was announced that the NPCEC will be set up to drive productivity efforts in Singapore, we have heard a lot of initiatives being pioneered in the private sector. DPM has also given an update yesterday of some of these efforts.
However, we have scarcely heard anything about what the public sector, that is, the civil service and the statutory boards, is doing to boost productivity. The public sector cannot be just a passive bystander because its policies and actions will have an impact on the private sector, and some of the agencies are directly involved in boosting productivity efforts in the 12 sectors, such as BCA for the construction sector. It may not be so easy to measure productivity in the public sector but we still need to have clear measurables and outcomes. It is also important not only to focus on processes, cutting costs, automation and training alone, but to encourage staff to imbibe innovation and to think out of the box in serving customers. The public sector should aim to provide the most delightful service to its customers as its goal.
So, I would like to ask the Prime Minister what has been done to boost productivity in the public sector? How are public sector employees being prepared to adopt a more innovation driven rather than just a rules based mindset? In the past, we used to have the QCCs and WITs to engage public sector staff on productivity efforts, what structures are in place today? How is productivity measured in the public sector? What are the targets and outcomes?
Thank you sir.
