GovTech retrenches 38 employees in second phase of layoffs

The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) is retrenching 38 employees in the second phase of its planned workforce reduction.

In a statement to AsiaOne on Thursday (Oct 22), GovTech said it was implementing the second phase of its workforce transformation as part of its shift towards taking greater ownership of the digital products and services it builds and operates.

"As with the first phase, we have prioritised retaining, retraining and redeploying officers wherever possible," it said.

GovTech added that 106 officers will remain in their current roles, while another 106 are eligible for conversion and apprenticeship pathways to transition into new roles.

Another 38 officers will leave the agency.

The roles affected are primarily those structured around traditional project delivery.

"Officers who are on the apprenticeship programme are at different stages of the conversion. We will continue to support them through the assessment and transition process," said GovTech.

"We recognise that these changes are difficult for affected colleagues," it added, noting that it would continue working with the Public Service Division, the Skills and Workforce Development Agency and the Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees to provide support to affected staff.

All affected staff members were informed by the end of Thursday.

Shift towards in-house digital capabilities

The latest exercise is the second of three phases in GovTech's planned workforce reduction, which will affect staff deployed to 23 Government agencies.

Across the first two phases, 131 officers have been retrenched.

The final phase of retrenchment is expected to take place in mid-2027, with staff informed of the plan during a company-wide town hall last month, according to CNA.

On July 15, GovTech said it aimed to reduce its workforce by seven to nine per cent as it transitioned to a new operating model.

In the first phase, 305 officers from GovTech headquarters and teams deployed to Government agencies were affected.

Of these, 102 remained in their current roles, while another 110 were to undergo apprenticeships to transition into other capabilities.

GovTech has said the workforce transformation is not driven by artificial intelligence or intended as a cost-cutting or downsizing exercise.

As more products are built and operated in-house, the proportion of traditional project and vendor management roles will gradually decrease, said GovTech.

In August, Acting Manpower Minister Jasmin Lau said in Parliament that GovTech was looking into shortening the transition period for affected officers where possible, to reduce prolonged uncertainty and anxiety for them and their teams.

"GovTech will aim to shorten this period whenever possible, so that officers reach clarity on their next steps more quickly rather than remaining in a state of limbo for longer than necessary."

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

新加坡政府科技局（GovTech）正在实施其计划裁员的第二阶段，裁减 38 名员工。

政府科技局周四（10 月 22 日）向 AsiaOne 发表声明称，作为其向对其构建和运营的数字产品和服务承担更大责任的转变的一部分，政府科技局正在实施其劳动力转型计划的第二阶段。

声明称：“与第一阶段一样，我们优先考虑尽可能地留住、重新培训和重新部署警员。”

GovTech补充说，106名官员将继续担任目前的职务，而另外106名官员有资格通过转岗和学徒途径过渡到新的职位。

另有38名警官将离开该机构。

受影响的岗位主要是那些围绕传统项目交付模式构建的岗位。

“参加学徒计划的官员们处于不同的转型阶段。我们将继续支持他们完成评估和过渡过程，”政府科技局表示。

“我们意识到这些变化对受影响的同事来说很困难，”声明补充道，并指出将继续与公共服务部门、技能和劳动力发展署以及法定机构雇员联合工会合作，为受影响的员工提供支持。

截至周四结束，所有受影响的员工都已收到通知。

转向内部数字化能力

此次行动是 GovTech 计划裁员的三个阶段中的第二个阶段，将影响部署到 23 个政府机构的员工。

在前两个阶段中，共有 131 名警官被裁员。

据中央社报道，裁员的最后阶段预计将于 2027 年年中进行，公司上个月在一次全员大会上向员工通报了该计划。

7月15日，GovTech表示，在向新的运营模式过渡的过程中，计划裁员7%至9%。

第一阶段，来自 GovTech 总部和部署到政府机构的团队的 305 名官员受到影响。

其中，102 人继续担任现有职务，另有 110 人将接受学徒培训，以过渡到其他岗位。

GovTech表示，劳动力转型并非由人工智能驱动，也不是为了削减成本或裁员。

GovTech表示，随着越来越多的产品由公司内部研发和运营，传统的项目和供应商管理角色比例将逐渐下降。

8 月，人力部代部长刘嘉敏在国会表示，政府科技局正在考虑尽可能缩短受影响人员的过渡期，以减少他们及其团队长期面临的不确定性和焦虑。

“政府科技局将尽可能缩短这一时期，以便官员们能够更快地明确下一步行动，而不是长时间处于不确定状态。”

邢莹.koh@asiaone.com