Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review 2024

Good progress made in key areas of national interest:

• Singapore is a place with opportunities for Singaporeans at every stage of life

• Singapore is a well-connected city with quality living environment

• Singapore continues to safeguard our peace and security, and contribute to international security and humanitarian assistance efforts 

• Singapore’s economic fundamentals remain robust

    The Ministry of Finance today published the eighth edition of the Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review (SPOR). SPOR, a biennial report, provides insights into how Singapore has fared in key areas of national interest, ranging from lifelong learning, health, housing and sustainability, economy, to security and diplomacy.

SPOR 2024 Key Themes

2   SPOR 2024 showcases the opportunities that Singaporeans have at every stage of life, how the Government is working towards quality and sustainable living, its efforts to safeguard Singapore’s shared future and place in the world, as well as sustaining a strong and resilient economy. The report also highlights areas where Singaporeans have partnered one another and the Government, to own, shape and act on our shared future together.

3   Head of Civil Service, Mr Leo Yip, said, “SPOR 2024 underscores the strides Singapore has made in key areas of national interest – with more opportunities for citizens, a quality living environment, a safe and secure Singapore, as well as a strong and resilient economy. It has also been heartening to see the Government, Singaporeans and businesses coming together as part of the Forward Singapore exercise to develop and implement initiatives that support and uplift the community. The Public Service remains committed to working with Singaporeans to address gaps and to build our shared future together.” 

Theme 1: Opportunities for All, at Every Stage of Life

4   Progress has been made to create opportunities for Singaporeans at every stage of their lives, from early education to retirement.

•   Affordable and quality education: The number of full-day preschool places has increased to over 200,000 to meet demand. Preschool education has become more affordable. Our primary, secondary and post-secondary students have more pathways and opportunities to pursue their strengths and interests, and be better prepared for the future.  

•   Good jobs, lifelong learning, with strong social safety nets: In 2023, employment rate of residents aged 25 to 64 remained high at 82.6% and residents generally saw an increase in wages over the past few years. To help Singaporeans take charge of their career health and seize new job opportunities, jobseekers are supported through a nationwide network of Jobs and Skills Centres, and programmes for reskilling and upskilling. 98% of SkillsFuture trainees surveyed in 2023 reported better work performance, after training. Income inequality, measured by the Gini coefficient, declined to 0.371 in 2023 after accounting for taxes and transfers, reflecting the redistributive effect of government support measures and taxes and efforts to uplift wages of lower-wage workers. The Government also provided more support to lower-income households through short-term cost-of-living support, and schemes such as Workfare which are permanent components of our social safety nets. We have recognised Singaporeans’ concerns on cost-of-living in a time of global inflation, and continue to help Singaporeans with daily expenses through the Assurance Package.

•   A Singapore Made For Families: Similar to many other societies, Singapore saw a decline in the resident total fertility rate, which reached 0.97 in 2023 due to fewer and later marriages as well as births. We implemented more measures to support Singaporeans across their marriage and parenthood journey. These included enhancements to the Baby Bonus Scheme and leave measures, and raising full-day infant care places by around 50% in the last five years. 

•   Healthy and active living: Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies globally. We reduced the prevalence of high cholesterol and diabetes in Singapore and implemented measures to support healthier and active lifestyles. However, the prevalence of high blood pressure and obesity rose. Self-reported poor mental health decreased from 2022 to 2023, and the Government stepped up efforts to support mental health by launching the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy in 2023. Healthcare remains affordable through subsidies, MediShield Life, and MediSave. Median wait times for adults in public hospitals rose due to factors such as COVID-19-related delays in healthcare infrastructure projects and increasing healthcare needs of our ageing population. We continued to invest in our healthcare infrastructure to ensure sufficient capacity and build a future-ready healthcare system. 

•   Retirement and ageing well: Measures such as the raised retirement and re-employment ages have given more opportunities for seniors who wish to continue working, in turn raising the employment rate of seniors. Schemes such as the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme and Majulah Package have helped provide greater assurance of meeting basic retirement needs. We are also supporting seniors to age well and independently through Age Well SG.

Theme 2: Quality and Sustainable Living

5   Singapore maintained a quality living environment that is well connected, and we are committed to building an endearing home for current and future generations.

•   We provided affordable and accessible public housing with shortened wait times. Housing estates were rejuvenated through initiatives like the Home Improvement Programme and Neighbourhood Renewal Programme. Public transport connectivity was expanded, shortening travel time, and 92% of residents could walk, cycle or ride to their neighbourhood centres within 20 minutes. More opportunities were created for Singaporeans to enjoy and appreciate our arts and heritage, green spaces, and nature. 

•   For a clean, green, and resilient Singapore, we have ensured water resilience and strengthened resilience in energy and food. We have also taken steps to address climate resilience and protect our natural environment.

Theme 3: Our Shared Future and Place in the World

6   Singapore has safeguarded our peace and stability, and contributed to regional and international security and humanitarian efforts. We worked with Singaporeans to foster a strong national identity and cohesive community. 

•   Singapore contributed to various international security and humanitarian assistance efforts with swift responses to contingencies and maintained high operational readiness to meet our security needs. Singaporeans maintained high confidence in the Home Team’s and Singapore Armed Forces’ ability to keep Singapore safe and secure.

•   We deepened relations with partners and contributed to the global commons like international maritime law and cybersecurity.

•   Singapore remained one of the safest countries in the world, with low physical crime and recidivism rates. While scams remained a key concern, the Government continued to work closely with the private sector such as banks and our community to fight against scams.

•   We also continued to invest in fostering a strong national identity and a cohesive community by co-creating meaningful initiatives with citizens, community groups and businesses. Over 35 Alliances for Action with citizens, community groups, and businesses were formed to co-create and prototype ideas in areas of opportunity or to address common challenges. The Singapore Government Partnerships Office was also launched to strengthen partnerships and engagements with citizens.

Theme 4: Strong and Resilient Economy

7   Our economic fundamentals remained robust and continued to be strengthened, despite structural shifts and a challenging external environment.

•   Between 2019 and 2023, Singapore’s real Gross Domestic Product grew at an annualised rate of 2.6%. Singapore remained attractive to businesses and pressed on with our industry transformation efforts. Progress was made towards Manufacturing, Services and Trade 2030 goals. We continued to support enterprise growth and transformation and develop a supportive innovation ecosystem. To maintain Singapore’s appeal to businesses, we invested further in SkillsFuture to raise our local workforce competitiveness and empower Singaporeans to take charge of their career health.

•   We further strengthened physical and digital connectivity by investing in our maritime and aviation hubs, and building our digital infrastructure. For future growth, we are building capabilities in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability. Emerging technologies, such as generative AI, present opportunities to improve productivity and strengthen our industries’ competitiveness, but they also bring challenges. We intensified our efforts to defend against cyberthreats and build a safer digital domain.

Special Chapter: Spirit of Forward Singapore 

8   The Forward Singapore exercise brought Singaporeans together to chart a roadmap for Singapore’s next stage of development. Forward Singapore is about renewing our social compact to keep our society strong, and sharing the benefits of progress with all Singaporeans. In an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world filled with both opportunities and risk, every sector of our society – individuals, communities and businesses – plays a role towards shaping Singapore’s future. Through fostering collaboration and partnerships, we can harness our diverse strengths and resources to navigate uncertainty, and more effectively bring Singapore forward.

SPOR 2024 can be accessed via go.gov.sg/SPOR or the QR code below.