GovTech must keep renewing capabilities, will continue to support retrenched officers: PM Wong

Speaking at GovTech's 10th anniversary dinner, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that policymakers and technologists need to work together much earlier and more closely.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivering his opening remarks during GovTech's 10th Anniversary Dinner at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Nov 5, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

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SINGAPORE: The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) must continually renew its capabilities while remaining a place where people can do work that matters, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (Nov 5).

Speaking at GovTech's 10th anniversary dinner at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Mr Wong also addressed the agency’s recent restructuring exercise that will let go of about 300 workers over two years.

“GovTech has recently gone through a restructuring exercise. I know it has been a difficult period for some officers, and we will continue to support the affected officers as they acquire new skills and prepare for new opportunities, whether within GovTech or outside,” said Mr Wong, who is also finance minister.

News of GovTech’s retrenchment exercise drew attention when announced in July as public sector layoffs in Singapore are rare. Before GovTech, the last publicly reported retrenchments in the civil service dated back to 2006 to 2010.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less In his speech, Mr Wong said that GovTech’s work of bringing policy and technology together, changing how Singapore builds, modernising systems and strengthening cybersecurity, ultimately depends on people. “We need people with deep expertise and a strong sense of public purpose. People who understand technology, but also understand policy and operations. And people who keep learning, because the technologies and skills we need will continue to change,” he said. “GovTech must remain a place where such people can deepen their craft, take on difficult problems, and do work that matters.” A TECHNOLOGICALLY STRONG PUBLIC SERVICE Beyond renewing GovTech’s capabilities, there must also be stronger technological capabilities developed across the wider public service, said Mr Wong. “When we established GovTech, we deliberately concentrated technology expertise in one organisation, so that we could quickly build up a critical mass of talent and capabilities. But the expertise cannot reside in GovTech alone. It really must be deeply embedded across the entire public service,” he said. In the past year, the agency has been bringing its product and engineering capabilities closer to frontline agencies.

In his speech, Mr Wong said that GovTech’s work of bringing policy and technology together, changing how Singapore builds, modernising systems and strengthening cybersecurity, ultimately depends on people.

“We need people with deep expertise and a strong sense of public purpose. People who understand technology, but also understand policy and operations. And people who keep learning, because the technologies and skills we need will continue to change,” he said.

“GovTech must remain a place where such people can deepen their craft, take on difficult problems, and do work that matters.”

A TECHNOLOGICALLY STRONG PUBLIC SERVICE

Beyond renewing GovTech’s capabilities, there must also be stronger technological capabilities developed across the wider public service, said Mr Wong.

“When we established GovTech, we deliberately concentrated technology expertise in one organisation, so that we could quickly build up a critical mass of talent and capabilities. But the expertise cannot reside in GovTech alone. It really must be deeply embedded across the entire public service,” he said.

In the past year, the agency has been bringing its product and engineering capabilities closer to frontline agencies.

The government will build on such efforts to extend GovTech’s expertise and capabilities across the whole of government, he said.

“As we progressively build up these capabilities elsewhere, GovTech itself must continue to be a centre of excellence – setting high standards, and tackling complex technological challenges that individual agencies cannot easily address on their own,” he added.

The ultimate goal is not simply to have a strong technology agency, but to have a “technologically strong government”, said Mr Wong.

This means having a government where technology is integral to policymaking, where policymakers understand what technology can enable, where technologists understand the policy objectives and operational realities, and where both work together to deliver better outcomes for Singaporeans, he said.

Mr Wong said that for a long time IT was treated as “something downstream" from policy, where policymakers decide what needed to be done and IT teams would be asked to build the system to implement it.

But there are limitations to this and the current approach is not good enough, added the prime minister.

He said that policymakers and technologists need to work together much earlier and more closely, and this requires changes on both sides.

“For policymakers, it means developing a better understanding of technology. Not so that everyone becomes a technology expert, but so that they understand what technology can and cannot do, and take these considerations into account when designing policies,” he said.

Mr Wong said that public service leaders are given time to deepen their understanding of technology. This is being done at the political leadership level, including dedicated sessions for ministers, he said.

The aim is not to master all the technical details, but to develop the instincts to ask the right questions, appreciate the possibilities and constraints, and understand how technology can help shape better policy choices, he added.

“For GovTech officers, it means going beyond implementing what policymakers ask for. We want you to be active partners in solving public policy problems,” said Mr Wong.

This means understanding the policy intent of decisions and bringing their expertise and judgment to the table early, he said.

“Do not be afraid to challenge established assumptions, or to question requirements that create unnecessary complexity. Suggest different approaches, and better ways of achieving the same objective.

“Sometimes, the best solution is not more sophisticated technology, but a simpler policy,” said Mr Wong.

GOVTECH OFFICERS “TRAILBLAZERS”: MR WONG

Mr Wong noted that traditionally, many government IT projects followed “a waterfall approach”, which included gathering the project requirements, seeking approval, procuring a vendor, building the entire system, launching it and then maintaining it.

“This approach works well for infrastructure projects, where the requirements can be clearly specified upfront. But software is different. Technology evolves quickly. Users’ needs change. And often, we only discover what works and what does not when people actually start using the product,” he said.

He called GovTech officers “trailblazers” for adopting a different approach, by building iteratively, putting products in the hands of users early, learning from feedback and improving continuously.

“ We need to do more of such an approach, and we need to make it easier for teams across government to work in this manner. It means changing not just our technology practices, but also the processes that govern how projects are delivered – how we scope projects, fund them, procure them, and hold teams accountable for outcomes,” he said.

Such an iterative approach should not stop when a system is launched and should evolve with the needs of users, something that requires teams to take continuing ownership of these products over time, said Mr Wong.

In his speech, Mr Wong also touched on artificial intelligence (AI) helping officers across the public service develop better solutions.

“We are already harnessing AI tools across the public service, and we are encouraging officers to make use of them in their everyday work,” he said.

Many officers are currently using AI mainly as a chatbot, or to help translate, transcribe, draft and edit documents, said Mr Wong.

“These are useful starting points, but we can certainly go much further. We want to empower officers to use AI agents and tools to solve problems and improve the way work gets done,” he said.

He noted that the people closest to the work often know best where the frustrations and bottlenecks are, and where improvements can make the biggest difference.

“We are not there yet. To get there, we need to strengthen our data infrastructure, equip officers with the right skills and tools, and put in place the necessary safeguards,” said Mr Wong.

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在政府科技局成立十周年晚宴上，总理黄循财表示，政策制定者和技术人员需要更早、更紧密地合作。

2026年11月5日，黄循财总理在金沙会展中心举行的政府科技局成立十周年晚宴上致开幕词。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：新加坡总理黄循财周四（11月5日）表示，新加坡政府科技局（GovTech）必须不断更新自身能力，同时保持其作为人们可以从事重要工作的地方的地位。

黄先生在滨海湾金沙会展中心举行的政府科技局成立十周年晚宴上发表讲话时，还谈到了该机构最近的重组计划，该计划将在两年内裁减约 300 名员工。

“政府科技局最近进行了重组。我知道这对一些员工来说是一段艰难的时期，我们将继续支持受影响的员工，帮助他们学习新技能，为新的机遇做好准备，无论是在政府科技局内部还是外部，”兼任财政部长的黄循财先生说道。

新加坡政府科技局（GovTech）7月份宣布裁员的消息引起了广泛关注，因为新加坡公共部门裁员实属罕见。在政府科技局成立之前，上一次公开报道的公务员裁员还要追溯到2006年至2010年。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 黄先生在演讲中表示，政府科技局将政策与技术相结合，改变新加坡的建设方式，实现系统现代化并加强网络安全，而这一切最终都依赖于人才。“我们需要拥有深厚专业知识和强烈公共使命感的人才。他们需要了解技术，也需要了解政策和运营。他们还需要不断学习，因为我们所需的技术和技能会不断变化，”他说道。“政府科技局必须继续成为一个让这些人能够精进技艺、应对难题并从事重要工作的地方。” 技术强大的公共服务 黄先生表示，除了更新政府科技局的能力之外，还必须在更广泛的公共服务领域发展更强大的技术能力。 “我们成立政府科技局时，特意将技术专长集中在一个机构，以便迅速积累足够的人才和能力。但这些专长不能仅仅局限于政府科技局，而必须真正深入地融入整个公共服务体系，”他说道。过去一年，该机​​构一直在努力将其产品和工程能力下放到一线部门。

黄先生在演讲中表示，政府科技局将政策与技术相结合，改变新加坡的建设方式，实现系统现代化，并加强网络安全，而这一切最终都取决于人民。

“我们需要具备深厚专业知识和强烈公共使命感的人才。他们不仅要懂技术，还要懂政策和运营。而且他们还要不断学习，因为我们所需的技术和技能会不断变化，”他说。

“政府科技部门必须继续成为一个让这类人才能够精进技艺、解决难题、从事重要工作的地方。”

技术实力雄厚的公共服务

黄先生表示，除了更新政府科技局的能力之外，还必须在更广泛的公共服务领域发展更强大的技术能力。

“我们成立政府科技局时，特意将技术专长集中在一个机构，以便迅速积累足够的人才和能力。但这些专长不能仅仅局限于政府科技局，而必须真正深入地融入整个公共服务体系，”他说道。

过去一年，该机​​构一直在努力将其产品和工程能力更贴近一线机构。

他表示，政府将在此基础上，进一步拓展政府科技局的专业知识和能力，使其惠及整个政府部门。

“随着我们逐步在其他地方建立这些能力，政府科技部门本身必须继续成为卓越中心——制定高标准，并应对单个机构难以独自解决的复杂技术挑战，”他补充道。

黄先生表示，最终目标不仅仅是建立一个强大的科技机构，而是要建立一个“科技实力雄厚的政府”。

他说，这意味着要建立一个将技术融入政策制定的政府，让政策制定者了解技术能够带来什么，让技术人员了解政策目标和实际操作情况，让两者共同努力，为新加坡人民带来更好的结果。

黄先生表示，长期以来，IT一直被视为政策的“下游环节”，政策制定者决定需要做什么，而IT团队则被要求构建系统来实施这些政策。

但总理补充说，这种方法存在局限性，目前的做法还不够好。

他表示，政策制定者和技术专家需要更早、更紧密地合作，这需要双方做出改变。

他说：“对于政策制定者来说，这意味着要更好地了解技术。这并不是要让每个人都成为技术专家，而是要让他们了解技术能做什么和不能做什么，并在制定政策时考虑到这些因素。”

黄先生表示，公务员领导层有时间加深对技术的了解。他说，政治领导层也在这样做，包括为部长们安排专门的培训课程。

他补充说，目标不是掌握所有技术细节，而是培养提出正确问题的直觉，了解各种可能性和局限性，并理解技术如何帮助制定更好的政策选择。

黄先生表示：“对于政府科技局的官员来说，这意味着要超越政策制定者的要求，积极参与解决公共政策问题。”

他说，这意味着要了解决策的政策意图，并尽早将他们的专业知识和判断力带到决策过程中。

“不要害怕挑战既定的假设，或者质疑那些造成不必要复杂性的要求。提出不同的方法，以及实现同一目标的更好途径。”

黄先生说：“有时候，最好的解决方案不是更复杂的技术，而是更简单的政策。”

政府科技局官员“开拓者”：黄先生

黄先生指出，传统上，许多政府IT项目都遵循“瀑布式方法”，包括收集项目需求、寻求批准、采购供应商、构建整个系统、启动系统，然后进行维护。

“这种方法适用于基础设施项目，因为这类项目的需求可以事先明确规定。但软件开发则不同。技术发展日新月异，用户需求也在不断变化。而且，我们往往只有在用户真正开始使用产品后，才能发现哪些有效，哪些无效。”他说道。

他称赞 GovTech 的官员们是“开拓者”，因为他们采取了不同的方法，通过迭代开发，尽早将产品交付给用户，从反馈中学习并不断改进。

他说：“我们需要更多地采用这种方法，并且需要让政府各部门的团队更容易以这种方式开展工作。这意味着不仅要改变我们的技术实践，还要改变项目交付的流程——我们如何确定项目范围、为项目提供资金、采购项目，以及如何让团队对结果负责。”

黄先生表示，这种迭代方法不应在系统上线后停止，而应随着用户需求而发展，这就要求团队随着时间的推移不断承担起这些产品的责任。

黄先生在演讲中还谈到了人工智能 (AI) 如何帮助公共服务部门的官员开发更好的解决方案。

他说：“我们已经在公共服务领域广泛应用人工智能工具，并鼓励工作人员在日常工作中使用这些工具。”

黄先生表示，目前许多警员主要将人工智能用作聊天机器人，或用于帮助翻译、转录、起草和编辑文件。

“这些都是有用的起点，但我们当然可以走得更远。我们希望赋予警员使用人工智能代理和工具的能力，以解决问题并改进工作方式，”他说。

他指出，最了解工作的人往往最清楚哪里存在挫折和瓶颈，以及在哪些方面进行改进可以产生最大的影响。

黄先生说：“我们还没有达到目标。要达到目标，我们需要加强数据基础设施建设，为警员配备合适的技能和工具，并建立必要的保障措施。”

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