Economist

Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry is hosting the Economist Service, a premier public-sector economist group in Singapore. Economists conduct rigorous research and policy analysis to inform broad public policy, spanning ministries and agencies.

As part of the Economist Service, you will work on surveillance, forecasting, empirical research, and policy analyses to support evidence-based decision making. Strong quantitative skills and programming ability are essential.

Qualifications

• Degree, Masters, or PhD in Economics or related quantitative disciplines.
• Strong passion for empirical research and solving complex problems using quantitative approaches.
• Solid econometric and data science skills for forecasting, policy modelling and evaluations.
• Proficiency with statistical/programming software (STATA, R, Python).

Responsibilities

• Surveillance & Forecasting – Keeping abreast of developments in the global/domestic economy and analysing policy impacts.
• Economic Research – Investigating topics relevant to public policies and outcomes.
• Policy Analyses – Supporting planning and implementation of public policies with empirical evidence.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Econometrics

Data science

Programming (STATA/R/Python)

Education

Degree / Masters / PhD in Economics

Quantitative disciplines or data analytics

Tools

STATA

R

Python

Job description

What The Role Is

The Economist Service is the premier service for economists in the Singapore public sector. By developing a core group of professional economists, the objective of the Economist Service is to sharpen economic analysis in the public sector in order to improve public policies.

What The Role Is

The Economist Service is the premier service for economists in the Singapore public sector. By developing a core group of professional economists, the objective of the Economist Service is to sharpen economic analysis in the public sector in order to improve public policies.

Economists in the Economist Service undertake economic research and analysis in many Ministries and agencies across the public sector. These include the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. Through postings to diverse Ministries and agencies, the economists contribute their expertise to inform a wide range of public policies, from economic policies to fiscal, socio-economic, health, security and infrastructural policies.

What You Will Be Working On

You are applying to be part of the Economist Service, which is headquartered in the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry. As a public sector economist, you will shape public policies in Singapore through the application of Economics thinking and the conduct of rigorous economic research and analyses. Through the use of robust data-driven empirical approaches, you will contribute to the base of evidence that supports policy formulation.

Your responsibilities include the following areas:

• Surveillance & Forecasting - Keeping abreast of developments in the global/domestic economy, and analysing the impact of external developments on the domestic economy (e.g., reconfiguration of supply chains).
• Economic Research - Investigating topics relevant to public policies (e.g., impact of government policies/schemes on firm/individual-level outcomes).
• Policy Analyses - Supporting the planning and implementation of public policies (e.g., evaluating the impact of tourism projects).

Economists in the Economist Service generally begin their careers in the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry's Economics Division. In the Economics Division, you will be exposed to a diverse range of issues, including economic growth, inflation and business costs, international trade, industrial strategy, corporate landscape and capabilities, labour market, and productivity and innovation. You will also develop expertise in data science-related areas of research and analysis.

What We Are Looking For

• Degree / Masters / PhD in Economics and other quantitative disciplines such as Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Engineering, or related disciplines.
• Strong passion for empirical research and extensive experience in solving complex problems using quantitative approaches.
• Strong quantitative skills (e.g., econometrics and data science) for forecasting, policy modelling and simulations, as well as impact evaluation studies.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to express complex ideas simply and logically.
• Proficiency with statistical/programming software (e.g., STATA, R, Python).