Senior/Assistant Director (Foreign Manpower), Resource Division

Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry in Singapore is seeking a policy-oriented professional to shape foreign workforce and talent policies. You will work with public, private and international stakeholders to strengthen Singapore’s talent landscape and drive data-informed economic growth.

The role focuses on strategy formulation, programme design, and public communications to promote good jobs for Singaporeans while keeping Singapore open to global talent.

Qualifications

• Be a quick learner with a growth mindset to navigate manpower issues.
• Excellent language and writing skills.
• A strategic thinker with strong analytical capabilities.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to build rapport with internal and external stakeholders across seniority.
• Be comfortable with numbers and basic econ-speak.
• Experience, familiarity or interest in workforce development, education, training or public policy will be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategies to strengthen Singapore’s foreign workforce, including designing competitive talent schemes and piloting talent exchange modalities.
• Develop foreign workforce and population strategies to support long-term economic and demographic objectives.
• Review foreign work pass and talent policies to ensure effectiveness in bringing in valuable skills.
• Analyse global and domestic labour market data and market trends with economists and private sector stakeholders.
• Shape the narrative of our foreign and local workforce strategy in public communications.

Skills

Growth mindset

Excellent writing

Strategic thinking

Analytical abilities

Interpersonal skills

Numerical fluency

Public policy interest

Job description

What the role is:

What The Role IsThe Foreign Manpower team pulls together public sector, private sector and international stakeholders to shape foreign workforce and talent policies, and support MTI’s mission of promoting economic growth and creating good jobs for Singaporeans. We draw on rigorous data analysis and extensive industry/stakeholder engagements to understand economic and labour market trends, to continually sharpen our foreign workforce and talent policy tools. Our work ensures that Singapore remains open to global talent and our overall workforce remains competitive, so as to support our businesses to grow, transform and pursue exciting opportunities, particularly in new growth areas. In doing so, we can continue to create a pipeline of good job opportunities for Singaporeans.

What you will be working on:

• Strategy Formulation and Programme Design
  • Develop strategies to strengthen Singapore’s foreign workforce, including designing competitive talent schemes to enhance Singapore’s attractiveness to global talent and rainmakers, and piloting modalities to promote talent exchange between Singapore and other jurisdictions (e.g., ASEAN).
  • Develop foreign workforce and population strategies to support Singapore's long-term economic and demographic objectives, including planning for the size and composition of the non-resident workforce in line with labour market, population, infrastructure and social considerations.
• Policy Reviews and Implementation
  • Review foreign work pass and talent policies to ensure they remain effective in bringing in complementary talent with valuable skills and expertise.
• Research and Data Analysis
  • Analyse global and domestic labour market, workforce and productivity data and market trends to benchmark Singapore’s comparative advantage;
  • Work closely with public sector economists and private sector stakeholders to assess the economic impact of talent and capability development initiatives.
• Public Communications
  • Shape the narrative of our foreign and local workforce strategy and considerations in public communications.

What we are looking for:

• Be a quick learner with a growth mindset to navigate a broad spectrum of manpower issues;
• Excellent language and writing skills;
• A strategic thinker with strong analytical capabilities;
• Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to build rapport with internal and external stakeholders across seniority;
• Be comfortable with numbers and basic econ-speak; and
• Experience, familiarity or interest in workforce development, education, training or public policy will be advantageous.

About Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry

Working at METI places you at the heart of Singapore’s economic policy-making. We drive productivity-led growth, safeguard and expand our economic space, and build a future-ready economy where firms can thrive. Together, we create a Singapore which is a city of possibilities, a home to great firms, and a place where the world connects — with people at its heart.When you join METI, you contribute to our mission of creating good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans, enabling them to improve their lives and secure a better future.