Mid-Career PMEs Hired by Ministries and Statutory Boards

2 Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Prime Minister how many mid-career professionals, managers and executives aged 40 years and above have Ministries and Statutory Boards hired as (i) permanent and (ii) contract staff each year from 2011-2015.

Mr Teo Chee Hean (for the Prime Minister): Between 2011 and 2015, about 7,100 mid-career Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) aged 40 years and above were recruited by the Ministries and Statutory Boards, or an average of about 1,400 of such officers recruited each year. This is about 11% of all new hires during this period.

Most new hires in the Public Service are placed on contracts to assess their suitability for the job. If they have performed well in the job and are assessed to be suitable for a long-term career with the Service, they will be placed on permanent positions after one or two years.