5
12 TRENDS THAT WILL AFFECT YOU
40
2
4 8 11 10
3
12
31
14
19
7 9
Your Say03
If yOu cOuld lIKEN thE puBlIc sErvIcE tO a famOus famIly, what wOuld It BE aNd why?
Readers share their thoughts!
Congratulations Calvin for your detailed description of how the Public Service is like the Tans. You win a $100 Resorts World Singapore voucher so you can take your family for a fun day out.
I think the Public Service is like the Transformers Autobots family because both are righteous, efficient and have that human touch. The Autobots are always secretly around the people they are trying to protect. They have integrated into our daily lives just like how the Singapore Public Service has integrated into our community to create the right environment for our people to earn a good living, raise a family and lead a fulfilling life.
Lim Wu Yi PA
I would liken the Public Service to the family of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because although al l the c har acters have different capabilities and attitudes, the turtles and their
I would say it is the Tan family from the Under One Roof TV series. Sometimes, when we attempt to explain our policies, the public thinks we are long-winded. So we are like Tan Ah Teck, whose family members flee once he starts telling his moral-filled stories with “This reminds me of a story. Long before your time...”. At times, we are like Dolly who unites the family with her love and dedication. We provide the framework for a successful Singapore, and bring Singaporeans closer through our various nation-building projects and activities. But sometimes, we are overly bureaucratic, systemic and
disciplined like Paul, so people may think that the Public Service is not a fun place to work in, just as girls find Paul a boring man to date. At times, we are like Ronnie who irks his family with his antics like how we sometimes upset the public unintentionally through our actions. For example, when we turn them away from one agency to another agency. Other times, we are like Denise, the live wire of Singapore’s funniest family who is dynamic, passionate, creative, vibrant and energetic. Finally, the Public Service also aims to be the pride of Singapore, just like the successful comedy which was exported to many other countries.
Sensei work together as one to fight off the evil Shredder and other bad guys. The Public Service, made up of various agencies, has a common goal: to overcome their unique challenges and serve Singapore.
Jane Ang SGH
The Public Service is similar to the Swiss Family Robinson. We are made up all ages and we still face adversities (challenges) together as all departments and boards are interlinked. When the storm approaches we try to solve problems together on the island city we call Singapore. Just like the Robinsons, we adhere to our values and principles dearly. We welcome changes for the better.
Balasubramaniam s/o Jeyanathan PUB
If you were overseas, how would you describe Singapore to a foreigner? Email us:
psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg The best entry will win an attractive prize worth up to
$100!
All other
published entries will win shopping
$30
each. Please vouchers worth include your name, agency email address, agency and contact number. All entries should reach us by May 27, 2011.
04 Highlights
what EvEry puBlIc OffIcEr shOuld KNOw
Edited by
Caught up by the day-to-day rush, we tend to focus on the present, and neglect to cast our sights further. Yet futures thinking (the act of identifying emerging trends, risk assessment and horizon scanning) has proven to be an effective strategy that can help businesses and governments stay ahead of the curve. For this commemorative Public Service Week issue, the Challenge editorial team gathered the insights of futures thinkers from various Ministries to identify the top 12 trends that we think every public officer should be aware of. We will continue to explore them in a more in-depth way in upcoming issues of Challenge, so do look out for them. And if you want to share your thoughts about the future right now, email us at: psd_challenge@challenge.gov.sg
Written by
Bridgette See Bridgette See, Richard Hartung, Sheralyn Tay, Kent Chan, Hong Xinyi, Siti Maziah Masramli, Grace Chew & Kelvin Tang
Trends09
Trends11
WERE YOU BORN BETWEEN 1947 and 1964 in the heady post-war years? As a babyboomer, you would be bettereducated, enjoy more opportunities and have a better standard of living than your previous generation. You are likely to be optimistic, team-oriented and loyal. You comprise about a third of Singapore’s population " and half the workforce. As you enter your senior years, you expect to spend it actively and meaningfully, pursuing hobbies and being with family and friends. The generations after you " Generation X and the Millennials " comprise a much smaller proportion of the population, and have different values and aspirations. If you were born after 1981, it is likely that you were born in a period where fertility rates had already begun to dip in Singapore " and have continued dropping since. Whatever age group you fall into, your getting older will have a deep, lasting impact on society. How does society cope with a large group getting older all at the same time? Who will take the place of half the workforce as it retires? What happens as the new generation comes into its own senior years if the potential support ratio " the people aged 15 to 64 for every older person aged 65 or older " dips even further? The good news is that the groundwork has been laid, says Dr Kang Soon Hock, Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, in the areas of healthcare, financial security and social wellness. Agefriendly amenities in the heartlands to support “ageing in place” are also available. Most significant is the move to make more efficient use of manpower and experience by promoting re-employment. This means re-training to enable older workers to work should they choose to. Dr Kang notes that older babyboomers born before 1954 may have distinctly different skill sets and demographics from
the post-1954 batch. He says: “Policymakers have to understand that different modes of training are needed to address these different needs. IT-based training solutions may be seen as ‘better’ but may not address the learning needs of the different demographic groups.” One key issue is ageism in the workplace. “Ageism may not be prevalent now, but policy-makers need to be aware that it can become an issue,” he says. Other studies concur that human resource
Future generations may rely on siblings, cousins or friends. Policy-makers need to be sensitive to the fact that there will be new and different social arrangements and review policies that only support the conventional idea of nuclear families. policies and organisational culture need to nurture, not neglect, inter-generational relationships. One key example is managing with a team-based approach rather than a more individualistic mindset. This calls for an inter-generational approach, what some experts call ‘age management’, that responds to the different learning needs, working styles and value priorities across age groups in a way that empowers every worker to achieve both organisational and personal goals " for example, acknowledging that some age groups tend to be more stable and workoriented for ‘the greater good’ compared with other groups who prioritise selfactualisation and fulfilment.
Organisational structure, job design and HR strategies should be tailored to optimise the talents and values of all age groups. Hence, experts agree that age and generational management training will become more important for HR managers and supervisors to understand the diverse needs of an inter-generational workforce. Dr Kang believes that new courses specifically on gerontology (the study of social, psychological and biological aspects of ageing) are more pertinent than ever, but importantly this understanding should be applied in other fields such as healthcare, finance, engineering or design so that the spectrum of ageing needs can be better met. Also, there needs to be more ageing research and more cross-sharing of data from public agencies to support the study of gerontology. Access to more data from the government can be helpful to support research or forecast trends. Another pertinent issue is to consider how social relationships and networks will change as family size shrinks. “The parent-child relationship may evolve,” says Dr Kang. “Future generations may rely on siblings, cousins or friends. Policymakers need to be sensitive to the fact that there will be new and different social arrangements. Policies should support, not obstruct, new support structures.” Ageing preparedness should, most importantly, start young. At what age should one start planning for retirement? As work becomes less a ‘job’ and more a pursuit of passions " does the concept of retirement become less relevant? And how can everyone start to think about ageing and its related issues before age catches up?
:
NEW mEDIA
WHAT DOES “PRIVACY ” MEAN I N today ’s wor ld? The idea that privacy is dead has been attributed to luminaries no less than Google former CEO Eric Schmidt and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. W hen ever y word you say can be tweeted to thousands of “followers”, or every inane picture you snap on your phone uploaded onto YouTube or Facebook in minutes, what is privacy? How does this impact everyday life? What you would not normally do in real life should apply exactly the same on the Internet. You would not discuss your pending divorce, next great business idea or operation on your colon with a complete stranger. Why would you do the same on the Internet? The growing influence of social media affects the work of the Public Service. A recent expletive-laden post from a staffer at the Health Promotion Board
Increasingly, the younger generation of digital natives who have grown up using the Internet will take these online tools to be part and parcel of their working lives. (HPB) was accidentally released onto Twitter before system administrators realised the mistake and the Board apologised. Before that, what teachers wrote in their private capacity about work and work conditions was posted online and read. The gaffes reminded the Service that it has sailed into uncharted waters. Even as the Public Ser vice strives to be more open and inclusive in its outreach to its constituencies, it also needs to control what its officers say and do through these same channels. Increasingly, the younger generation of digital natives who have grown up using the Internet will take these
online tools to be part and parcel of their working lives. As this generation grows up, they will be the next cohort of working adults for whom use of such tools for both self-expression and work will be second nature. The government or any other employers will have to use these same channels to disseminate and communic ate information. Resorting to stopping the use of such channels is not an option now, much less when this connected generation grows up. “Despite the risks inherent in using social media, the public sector can’t avoid using it for communications. So what we need to do is to develop
Trends15
As the Internet grows, more effort will have to be invested to understand and tame new media.
stronger capabilities, adopt better practices and exercise greater caution, so that we can minimise the mistakes over time while learning and improving from experience,” says Mr Koh Kew Soon, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) overseeing New Media. To help officers better understand and make use of new media, MICA has developed a broad New Media Communications Competency Framework as a guide for the Civil Service College to develop relevant courses. The ministry’s New Media/ Info Plans Division also conducts new media briefings, organises interagency sharing sessions and provides consultation to ministries and agencies in new media communications. When dealing with new media, one needs to remember that when information online is read, the reader might not have the original context of
the post. Both readers and potential writers must realise this as they write, and remember that days or weeks after they have said what they wanted to say, this digital trace will acquire a life of its own on the Internet while it gets commented on, reposted or otherwise “mashed up” or “repurposed” as the current buzzword may be. Both businesses and the government will do well to remember the practical l i m i t s t o w h a t t h e y c a n c on t ro l . Toothpaste, once squeezed from a tube, cannot be put back. Even in countries like China which have invested huge sums in controlling the Internet " the so-called “Great Firewall of China” " determined citizens are finding their way outside and reading what the outside world is thinking of China. S i m i l a r l y, t h e Yo u Tu b e -Tw i t t e r Facebook generation needs to realise that personal responsibility extends to the Net. There is, in some sections of
the Western liberal media, a recurring theme that these tools are potent agents of change and are a primary enabler, if not the cause, of recent democratic movements in the Middle East. This is nonsense. Social media is no more a “cause” of revolution than a fishnet can be a cause of caught fish. It is an instrument, a means of communicating the message. Revolutions do not happen on the Internet; they need a physical presence on the ground. Tools like social media do not cause any particular phenomena, they shape and allow the phenomena to be spread or affect the speed and ease at which it can be spread. Revolutions can happen, and have happened, without these means. The truth is greyer than that.
ECONOMIC STRATEGY:
Futurists outline three possible scenarios for the future global economy and how Singapore should prepare for them. T JOB IS TO WORRY ABOU MR LEE CHOR PHARN’S er. a fluid, unpredictable world ord what’s ahead for Singapore within ds open economies, Singapore nee As one of the world’s most e s global trends will pan out. “W to be prepared for how variou , when the tide recedes,” Mr Lee don’t want to get caught naked , ry of Trade and Industry (MTI) Senior Strategist at the Minist tells Challenge.
al b o l G Th e n o m i c Eco house: r Powe
to imagine the economy of the Mr Lee and his colleagues try do to thrive. This is not crystal future and what Singapore can is at might happen. Rather, this ball-gazing and predicting wh ing w of possible futures by examin gaining a more holistic overvie nes. insights from different discipli w at ue, economist Yap Zhi Jia (no Mr Lee and his MTI colleag ing e scenarios for the global trad MOE), drew up three possibl gameplan should be in each. regime, and what Singapore’s
In the first, called “Chimerica reborn”, America regains economic muscle. China, as the second largest economy, cements its position as a more equal partner. America’s twin bastions of strength " entrepreneurship and innovative spirit " help re-establish itself as a high-quality manufacturing and export powerhouse in areas such as green technology, digital media and advanced pharmaceuticals and energy products. China becomes a strong supplier of consumer goods and capital, driven by its swelling urban middle class. The two giants, building on each other’s strengths, enter into a “symbiotic” relationship that dominates global affairs, displacing other international platforms. G2 replaces G20 as the premier economic forum. In the second scenario, called “China’s world”, America’s recovery is hampered and the USA loses economic dominance, allowing China to take front and centre positions in a new unipolar world. As a result, China dominates global demand and trading partners re-orientate towards China. China-centric trading and financial platforms emerge, in parallel to existing international frameworks. A China-Japan-Korea trade core forms, at the expense of other regions. “Bloc-ed World” is a multipolar scenario where both the USA and China stumble. China’s property and stock bubbles burst, stalling the real economy, while America’s economy languishes. A prolonged economic slowdown ensues.
May-June_wip 13 apr (part 1).indd 16
4/15/11 3:23 PM
Trends
In ÂŤ Chimerica RebornĂŽ , America regains economic muscle. China, as the second largest economy, cements its position as a more equal partner.
12 Trends continues on page 37
May-June_wip 13 apr (part 1).indd 17
4/15/11 4:21 PM
18 Thinking Aloud
FoRECAST oR FRY WE ALL FORECAST, IF ONLY TO decide whether to take an umbrella with us to lunch but it has been made more difficult by the speed of change, the demand for short-term targets and the perceived difficulty of planning. When we cannot forecast, we guess with reasonable success if we follow nine creative rules of alertness, observation, sensitivity, reflection, humour, vision, foresight, problem solving and memory. Forecasting the next few years involves analysing social networks and Internet programmes. It requires a view about the 1.7 billion people the planet cannot support. It means studying how energy sources will change and guessing future climate changes. This column permits only the examination of the future of energy.
technology that promises much greater safety. It seems inconceivable that a planet so blessed with energy would fail to harness it. An energy breakthrough is more important than all medical, social, political and economic advances put together. Plentiful energy will solve population, consumption, longevity and sustainability problems " at a price " but mankind has always channelled resources into survival of the race. A short-term increase in energy costs will worsen the problems the planet faces today. More people will starve and die of thirst creating ‘poverty revolutions’. Social networks will grow and promote more ‘freedom revolutions’, possibly at a risk to democracy itself, bringing higher expectations which we cannot satisfy. Freedom by itself does not mean wealth or comfort.
No loyalty to an employer leads to no loyalty to society. So stay with the job or income source you have now for as long as you reasonably can. The Japan tragedy will subside but there will remain doubts about building nuclear plants on tectonic plate faults in the earth. Efforts to develop alternative energy will increase and we shall see an energy breakthrough within the next twenty years. This may be storage (batter y technology) or movement (sending electricity over long distances wirelessly) or extra-terrestrial (sourcing energy from space). It may be ways of triggering powerful energy locally or a new nuclear
Forecasting can help us to protect our families better, says John Bittleston
Virtual mobility will partly replace physical travel and educate us in cross-cultural understanding. Cheaper energy will eventually redress this trend.
Climatic disasters will proliferate and, until the energy breakthrough, the available power will be unable to cope with them. There will eventually be increased resources to alleviate climate devastation. Lose your home to floods once and you call for a mop; lose it twice and you call for a mob. What can we do to protect our families? Earning money will become increasingly precarious. Job-hopping is a potential disaster. No loyalty to an employer
leads to no loyalty to society. So stay with the job or income source you have now for as long as you reasonably can. Job change is threatening to the body and mind as well as to the resume; a record with your employer or customers does not guarantee a job for life but it makes it more expensive to fire you. Rule Two: produce a basic plan and sleep at night. Planners succeed more than those waiting for something to turn up. Your financial plan must cover lifestyle aspirations and preparation for a long old age. 80 per cent of people who seek career and life advice have no idea how to prepare a plan. Learn or lose out. The Chairman of a big multinational corporation told me recently that he thought communication skills were worsening. Rule Three: make sure you communicate effectively, especially by listening. This skill has been badly neglected. There are more steps you can take to prepare for the economic tsunami that is soon to break. My views on those are at Challenge Online’s Insider’s Take section. (www.challenge.gov.sg) Forecasting is not about gambling, it is about prudence. John Bittleston helps people with their careers, businesses and personal lives at Terrific Mentors International. His career spans marketing, advertising, public relations, international management, book writing, and mentoring.
Letters to aYoung Public Officer 27 DEAR YOUNG OFFICER, When asked to write this letter, I polled a few young officers to discern the pulse of youth. Their responses led me to think that many want to know their place in the organisation " how they are contributing, what the future will be, and whether they, like me, would stay on to make the public service their lifelong career.
Be patient
I would like to offer three observations from my own experience. First, be patient with yourself. As a young officer, it is natural to want to know how well you are doing. Have I got the last piece of work done right? Did that presentation go well, given the silence in the room? There is a deep desire for instant feedback. I’ve learned through experience that a short delay or absence of feedback need not necessarily indicate bad news. Very often it is simply the fact that in our culture, supervisors are not disposed to giving direct feedback, even if positive. Supervisors may sometimes judge that a balance is needed lest the officer becomes complacent or puffed up. The important ingredients for your career like building deep capabilities require patience, and professional development takes time. Second, officers who have suffered setbacks early in their careers but are later able to pick themselves up and stay resilient often go on to do very well. I’ve not seen any successful public officer go through life without setbacks.
and be
not afraid by Peter Ong Head of Civil Service
got there, that major features of what we were hoping to seal in the agreement were already in another signed multilateral agreement. We left the meeting feeling silly, wondering how we could have missed this. You can imagine the embarrassment of having to update my Minister about the fiasco. Fortunately, through creative re-crafting and introducing new features into a new draft, we later sealed the agreement. The episode gave me confidence I was part of a system that allowed honest mistakes, but more than that, let me recover if I did not simply get discouraged but sought corrective action. I have seen many officers whose potential may not have been fully evident earlier, get recognised subsequently because they continued to add value and exhibit strength of character.
I have seen many officers whose potential may not have been fully evident earlier, get recognised subsequently because they continued to add value and exhibit strength of character. When I was doing investments during my posting at Temasek Holdings, Mr Dhanabalan used to tell me that if I am able to always avoid mistakes, it must be because I am not taking any risks at all. Once, I was part of a team visiting another country to initiate a bilateral agreement, only to find out when we
Third, the grass always appears greener on the other side. Many young officers often ask me whether I thought of leaving at any time. I always tell officers who are contemplating leaving that such self-reflection is healthy. The commitment to the service is greater if they know they can leave and easily land a good job outside, but yet choose to stay. This choice to stay is a strong anchor that helped me work through
my career challenges; challenges you will face in any job. Over time, you will discover the ethos of service when you see the positive impact of the work you do. There is probably no other job that can have wider implications for Singaporeans and the future of Singapore. There is also the privilege of working with really smart people up and down the chain who deliver public value through bold, innovative, far-sighted and wellexecuted policies others find difficult to implement. I hope you will discover that the Singapore Public Service is big enough for you to live out your potential, discover your outer horizons and do fulfilling, meaningful things you will not regret. In one of the Letters to a Young Poet, the words run: “ You are so young, so much before all beginning, and I would like to beg you, dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. “Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
29
“I always ask why they want to join the service and this is what I hear. They talk about the stability it offers and some say it invests in people. But I would rather hear them talking of coming into the public sector to serve‌ For me, it’s more a calling than a job.â€?
Agreeing, Mr Quek pointed to one weakness. “We believe we have crafted the best policies. But the inability to make ourselves better-understood and to respond quickly when things don’t turn out as well as on paper – that’s one gap. Because we are used to a topdown approach – even today.� Mr Raja Kumar pointed out two major changes that make good public service even more challenging – complexity and trust. “Increasingly, we are dealing with issues of tradeoffs and these are difficult to explain because it is very often a judgment call what sort of tradeoff that you, as a society, are prepared to accept.� “There is also a lot less trust in establishments now than any other time you can think of. If you just think of institutions in the past that were held in high regard, for example, the banking sector whom our parents and grandparents trusted whole-heartedly because the name carried so much credibility and a reser voir of trust and goodwill, the government’s job is harder now because people have less trust in institutions.�
But, as MOH’s Roy Quek noted, it is not a lost cause – yet. “Every passing generation feels the younger ones are impatient. If they are prepared and willing to give us a shot and not go directly into banking, we have a chance and can help them to be inspired by what it means to be a public servant in Singapore today.�
'R ZH EHOLHYH WKDW ZH PRQRSROLVH DOO WKH ZLVGRP DQG H[SHULHQFH DQG ZH NQRZ WKH FRPSOHWH VROXWLRQ" , WKLQN VRPHWLPHV ZH WKLQN ZH GR
What’s usually in your cuppa? BG Tan Chuan-Jin: Coffee & Milo or green tea Raja Kumar: Coffee Roy Quek: Plain water What’s your favourite type of tea or coffee? BG Tan Chuan-Jin: Mocha – I mix my coffee & Milo Raja Kumar: Kopitiam kopi Roy Quek: I don’t drink coffee or tea Where do you normally go to get your caffeine fix? BG Tan Chuan-Jin: I make my own mocha at home and in the office, my secretary makes my green tea Raja Kumar: Killiney Kopitiam Roy Quek: I don’t; caffeine keeps me up all night! My PA puts a flask of water on my table each morning
There appears to be a lot more questioning today. And the groundswell is growing. “Dialogue in Internet space will increase exponentially. There are many intelligent people out there who can look and analyse and give their two cents’ worth. There, you are competing with an idea,� added BG Tan. The question is – which idea will carry the ground? As the job and environment have changed, so too has the type of young officer today. CRA’s Raja Kumar shared:
0D\ -XQHBZLS DSU SDUW LQGG
30
Life.Style 33
Life.Style 35
36 Unsung Heroes
For more Unsung Heroes stories, go to http://publicserviceweek.gov.sg
TOURISM:
Trends37
INTO OUTER SPACE For the future of its tourism industry, Singapore might have to reach for the stars – literally.
“BY 2030,” SAYS TOURISM FUTURIST Ian Yeoman, “China will be the world’s largest tourism destination, holidays in outer space will be the ultimate luxury experience… and skiing in the Alps will be no more.” If that forecast turns out right, Singapore is well-positioned to take a chunk of that future – in outer space. S i n g a p o r e ’s t o u r i s m s c e n e c h a n g e d fundamentally in 2005 when, after much debate, the integrated resorts (IRs) were approved. In 2006, the beginnings of another dramatic change were unveiled when Space Adventures announced that it planned to start work soon on a Spaceport here to launch tourists into space. Talk of a Spaceport dipped after that. But now, space flight seems to be back on the radar. At t h e G l o b a l S p ac e & Te c h n o l o g y Convention held in late Januar y in Singapore, according to Aviation Week, European aviation giant EADS Astrium announced that “Singapore will be a partner in its suborbital spaceplane programme and Singapore will be building a small-scale demonstrator of the spaceplane.” EADS Astrium hopes it will ultimately have “a fleet of its commercial spaceplanes” at Changi Airport. Space tourism definitely sets Singapore apart in Southeast Asia and could give the country a new competitive edge once the current excitement about the IRs diminishes. At up to US$200,000 per ticket for a 2½-hour ride, space tourism is clearly an upscale, lucrative niche.
At up to US$200,000 per ticket for a 2½-hour ride, space tourism is clearly an upscale, lucrative niche. Globally, there is already strong competition. At Spaceport America in New Mexico, according to the International Herald Tribune, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has signed on to be the facilities’ anchor tenant. American companies like Blue Origin, XCOR and Armadillo Aerospace are also coming into the fray. Although EADS Astrium expects it could be at least seven years until spacecraft here receive certification, construction of Singapore’s demonstrator spaceplane has already taken off.
38 Trends
N G I E R URE?
Demographics will change the face of migrant workers, while new skills will be required to manage a diverse workforce. AS A NATION BUILT FROM THE toil of migrants, Singapore’s foundations " literally and metaphorically " were, and are still being, built on the backs of immigrant labour. The issue of foreign talent is two-fold " how to use existing labour most efficiently, while preventing an over-reliance on an intrinsically nomadic workforce? Recent initiatives such as the push to increase workforce productivity through increased subsidies for training, coupled with higher levies for foreign workers, appear to recognise the challenge. Most pressing is this question " what shifts in the demographics of foreign talent are likely? Currently, the main sources of foreign talent are China and India. But these two nations " populous as they are " are likely to be hit with an ageing population by 2030. The proportion of young people in China aged 15 to 24 will dip from 16.9 per cent in 2010 to 12.1 per cent in 2030. In India, the proportion will drop from 19.3 per cent in 2010 to 16.3 per cent in 2030. This scenario would see labour from these two countries start to dry up. Where will the next pool of young foreign labour come from? Will places as far away as Africa be the next sources of talent? Africa’s youth forms 20.2 per cent of the
Where will the next pool of young foreign labour come from? Will places as far away as Africa be the next sources of talent? population now, a rate that should remain stable at 19.8 per cent in 2030. What will this mean for Singapore’s integration policies? It cannot be denied that there is an undercurrent of tension in perceptions among Singaporeans of the influx of foreign talent. Differences in language and culture can " and may have already " created an “us versus them” mentality. How can these tensions be managed in a way that addresses both citizens’ insecurities and the ambivalence of the “outsider”? One future analyst interviewed predicted a need for “cross-species translators” in the future. This idea might seem tongue-in-cheek, but is not as far-fetched as it sounds. According to a Future Skills Needs Study initiated by the Manpower Ministr y, future workers need to manage increasingly diverse workplaces and blend in the multi-generational and international profile of the future workforce. Cultural awareness and sensitivity, integrated with collaborative skills, will also be essential to work in such a culturally heterogeneous environment. So, instead of quivering in fear of the unknown, perhaps the man in the street could consider practical ways to ride the migrant wave. What skills should be honed or acquired to stay relevant and successful in the increasingly diverse workforce of the future?
Trends41 are already grappling with whether to allow athletes with super-efficient prosthetic limbs to compete. The range of dilemmas like this will only increase. Since the technology could be expensive, ethical decisions could also revolve around whether costly enhancements should go only to the rich who can pay or whether poorer people with greater need should also have access. Ethical questions can also pop up elsewhere, such as in the military. As Arizona State University researcher Michael Burnam-Fink wrote in the magazine Science Progress, policymakers need to decide issues such as “how technologies
• Nanobots could enhance and replace human organs
• Soldiers could have advanced technologies implanted into them to become super-soldiers
Is human enhancement ethical especially in the context of military authority over soldiersÇ choices?
At a national level, policy-makers need to consider many implications of human augmentation. As US science-fiction writer Bruce Sterling wrote in Wired magazine, policy considerations could include limits on genetic enhancement, standards for tests on people and even potentially what it means to be human. These decisions, he said, have implications for “democracy, individual rights, free will, eugenics and equality.”
and soldiers should be integrated” and “is human enhancement ethical especially in the context of military authority over soldiers’ choices.”
Policy decisions in healthcare, for example, could revolve around genetic screening or even eugenics, meaning that some people with undesirable genes would not be allowed to have children. W hile removing harmful genes from humans might sound good, careful consideration may be needed before allowing policy-makers to make decisions like who should have children or be injected with drugs involuntarily.
• Neuroengineering could enhance memory, creativity and even happiness
• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips can be implanted to unlock doors with a wave of the hand
• Nanomedicine could eliminate all common diseases of the 20th century
Moreover, as Mr Kurzweil said on the US Religion & Ethics radio programme, “the same technologies that are being used to reprogram biology away from heart disease and cancer, presumably good things, could be deployed by a bioterrorist.” Ethical decisions to balance the benefits of human augmentation with controls to prevent malevolent use then become critical. Human augmentation could indeed bring many benefits. At the same time, it necessitates a huge range of ethical and practical choices on everything from everyday healthcare to fundamental concepts about human life. As technology evolves ever faster, policy-makers need to act quickly to frame the debates well and make the best decisions possible.
Editor’s Note: We will be exploring these trends more in-depth in upcoming issues of Challenge, so do look out for them! Do you agree that these will be important issues of the future? What other issues do you think are important? Share your thoughts with us at: psd_challenge@challenge.gov.sg
OIL
OIL
OIL
OIL
Feature43
44 The Irreverent Last Page
1. Public Service Week is celebrated in the _____________ full week of May every year. A. B. C. d.
Second Third Fourth Fifth
2. The key objectives for Public Service Week are to allow officers to reflect on the meaning of being a public officer; to generate a sense of pride and common identity in the Public Service; and to recognise and celebrate our achievements as a Public Service. What is the PSW theme that ties in with these objectives? A. B. C. d.
SuBMiT YOuR AnSWERS BY JUNe 13, 2011 AT: website www.challenge.gov.sg emAiL psd_challenge@psd.gov.sg fAx 6333 4010 Please include your name, email address, agency and contact number. all winners will be notified by email.
Serving the People of Singapore Serving the nation and Proud of it Serving the toast and butter with it Serving the nation and People of Singapore
3. as part of the Public Service Week celebrations this year, public officers can expect to enjoy free access to swimming pools and museums under a special initiative titled _____________. A. B. C. d.
PSW Specials PSW Promotions Agency Offers Learning Activities
4. _____________ celebrates the quiet contributions of public officers who act beyond their call of duty to uphold the Public Service values of integrity, Service and excellence. A. B. C. d.
Extraordinary Heroes Helpful Strangers unsung Heroes Remarkable Officers
5. The finals of the ‘PS got Talent’ competition will take place at _____________. A. B. C. d.
PSW Convention PSW Party PSW Countdown PSW Finale Event
Used with the permission of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. For the avoidance of doubt, the “ Red Dot Family” is not in any way related to the “The Little Red Dot” or “The Dot Family” which are trademarks of, and proprietary to, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.