Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts

36th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963.

Tel: 3757794/5

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Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen

Tomorrow, the Ministry of Labour will assume new responsibilities and embark on a new mission. With these changes, comes a new name, the Ministry of Manpower.

The Prime Minister first announced the setting up of a Ministry of Manpower on 24 Feb 98. Since then, I have spoken and elaborated on the Ministry’s new mission and responsibilities. The Ministry of Manpower’s mission is to develop a world-class workforce to power Singapore’s growth in the 21^st Century. This is our response to the challenges posed by the twin developments of the knowledge era and globalisation. To enhance Singapore’s economic competitiveness, we must have a highly skilled workforce with up-to-date knowledge and capabilities. We have to inculcate a learning mindset in our people to ensure life-long employability and productivity. Only then can we withstand the sudden changes and economic storms which are bound to cross our path, just as we are today surrounded by currency instability and economic upheavals.

The Ministry of Manpower will facilitate the development of an integrated training infrastructure to enable every Singaporean worker to achieve his or her fullest potential. To succeed in this task, we will work closely with our partners in the trade unions and employers’ organisations. The strong tripartite partnership that has evolved over the years provides the foundation for this new endeavour. Just as tripartism has helped us to achieve a harmonious labour relations environment to sharpen our competitive edge, it will help the Ministry of Manpower to build up a new workers’ training infrastructure to enhance their employability.

At the same time, I am pleased to welcome our new partners in strategic manpower planning and development for Singapore. Government agencies, such as MTI, MOE, EDB, PSB and FTU, will be important partners for the Ministry in the overall development of our manpower resource and capability. We will adopt a total systems approach in the way we go about our business to ensure optimal development and deployment of our human talent at all levels. That is why Manpower 21, the key initiative of the new Ministry of Manpower to formulate a strategic plan for manpower development, will be a multi-agency collaborative approach, tapping the collective experience and resources of all of our partners, including NTUC and SNEF.

All of us in the new Ministry of Manpower are inspired by the new mission and challenges. We have new responsibilities and new resources. We want to share this sense of excitement and purpose with all Singaporeans. We want all Singaporeans to join in this task to realise our common vision.

Hence, this evening we are unveiling our new corporate logo which graphically captures and summarises our mission. What are the key messages which the logo symbolises for the new Ministry? I will define them under three main areas – content, context and connection. Firstly, the content must be one of progression into the future. Whether it is the Ministry itself or the workforce in general, the logo must reflect this dynamism of continuously upgrading our skills and applying our capabilities successfully. Secondly, the context must be the globally competitive environment we are operating in. Finally, our connection with our stakeholders and partners must be easily translated. Workers, unions, employers and Government agencies are important partners of the Ministry. Singaporeans are the stakeholders in this endeavour and the ultimate beneficiaries.

The intent of the logo is to portray the business of the Ministry in a simple and elegant design. We want it to capture the imagination of all our customers, partners and stakeholders to conjure up positive and dynamic associations. This will be the start of our collective effort towards the goal of a world-class workforce.

It now gives me great pleasure to launch the new corporate logo of the Ministry of Manpower.