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 more than 20 Ministries and agencies across the public sector. These include the Ministry of 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.
Responsibilities
What you will be working on
You are applying to be part of the Economist Service, which is headquartered in the Ministry of 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
(i) 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).
(ii) Economic Research. Investigating topics relevant to public policies (e.g., impact of government policies/schemes on firm/individual-level outcomes).
(iii) 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 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.
Requirements
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).
