Foo Cexiang sworn in as Minister of State

First-term Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC Foo Cexiang was on Thursday (Sept 3) sworn in as Minister of State.

Foo was sworn in by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam in a ceremony held at the Istana, witnessed by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Writing in a Facebook post after the ceremony, PM Wong said that the newly-minted minister of state has been a strong advocate for Singapore's youths and communities.

"I am glad to have Cexiang join our team, and look forward to his contributions as we continue working to create good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans," the prime minister added.

15 years in civil service

The 41-year-old spent nearly 15 years as a civil servant before entering politics in the last General Election .

He is currently an MP in Tanjong Pagar GRC.

He has held portfolios spanning industrial planning, security policy, education planning.

Prior to his resignation, Foo was director of private and future mobility at the Ministry of Transport.

After the General Election, Foo joined PSA Singapore as its vice-president for port ecosystem.

In a Facebook post after his promotion to the frontbench was announced by PM Wong on July 22 , Foo, who has been appointed Minister of State for Manpower and Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said he was "humbled and honoured" to join the Government.

"I started my career in the civil service in JTC, a statutory board under MTI, in 2010, and was posted to MTI in 2013, where I had the opportunity to work with MOM to develop SkillsFuture," he said then.

"I am excited to return to MTI and join MOM, with a singular mission — to contribute towards creating more good jobs and careers for all Singaporeans."

Another first-term MP and former civil servant joining the frontbench is Shawn Loh (Jalan Besar GRC).

He had asked to begin his appointment on Jan 1 to facilitate a smooth leadership transition for his current role as group managing director at Commonwealth Capital Group.

In an interview with CNA aired on Aug 31, Foo described his approach in his new roles as one of consultative and collaborative.

He set out two focuses at the manpower ministry — artificial intelligence and how it fits into a worker's growth, and the working environment for parents amid Singapore's push for greater support for parents.

At the trade and industry ministry, the minister of state, noting that global trading patterns are shifting as countries diversify their economic links and new routes gain prominence, said he sees an opportunity for Singapore to remain at the centre of these flows, while preparing Singaporeans to venture into emerging markets such as Africa, Latin America and Central Asia.

He also pointed out that countries in these regions also have a very strong population dividend.

丹戎巴葛集选区首任国会议员符策祥于周四（9月3日）宣誓就任国务部长。

傅海燕在总统府举行的仪式上由总统尚达曼主持宣誓就职，总理黄循财在场见证。

仪式结束后，黄英贤总理在脸书上发文称，这位新任国务部长一直是新加坡青年和社区的坚定拥护者。

总理补充道：“我很高兴策祥加入我们的团队，期待他为我们继续努力为新加坡人创造良好的就业机会做出贡献。”

公务员工作经验15年

这位41岁的候选人在上届大选中步入政坛之前，曾担任了近15年的公务员。

他目前是丹戎巴葛集选区的国会议员。

他曾担任过工业规划、安全政策、教育规划等多个职务。

在辞职前，Foo 是交通运输部私人及未来出行主管。

大选结束后，Foo加入新加坡港务集团（PSA Singapore），担任港口生态系统副总裁。

7月22日，黄英贤总理宣布傅海燕晋升为前座议员后，傅海燕在脸书上发帖表示，他“感到无比荣幸和谦卑”能够加入政府。傅海燕已被任命为人力部政务部长和贸工部政务部长。

“我于 2010 年在裕廊集团（JTC，贸工部下属的法定机构）开始了我的公务员生涯，并于 2013 年被调到贸工部，在那里我有机会与人力部合作发展技能创前程计划，”他当时说道。

“我很高兴能够重返贸工部并加入人力部，我的使命只有一个——为所有新加坡人创造更多优​​质工作和职业发展机会。”

另一位首次当选国会议员、前公务员是来自惹兰勿刹集选区的罗绍文。

他要求从 1 月 1 日开始任职，以便顺利过渡到他目前担任的 Commonwealth Capital Group 集团董事总经理一职。

在 8 月 31 日播出的 CNA 采访中，Foo 将他在新角色中采取的方法描述为咨询和协作。

他在人力部提出了两个重点——人工智能及其如何融入员工的成长，以及在新加坡大力支持父母的背景下，父母的工作环境。

贸易和工业部国务部长指出，随着各国经济联系多元化和新路线的兴起，全球贸易格局正在发生变化，他认为新加坡有机会继续处于这些贸易流动的中心，同时让新加坡人做好准备，进军非洲、拉丁美洲和中亚等新兴市场。

他还指出，这些地区的国家也拥有非常可观的人口红利。