Today (26 Jun) marks the launch of a new digital-focused office by the Singapore Government.
Called the Digital Industry Singapore (DISG) office, the announcement was made by Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran in his opening speech at this year’s edition of the Smart Nation Summit.
The office aims to “work better with the private sector to unlock the opportunities present in a ‘digital-as-usual age'”.
Said Mr Iswaran during his opening speech: “In Singapore, our vision is for a digital economy where every business is digitally empowered, every worker is digitally skilled, and every citizen is digitally connected.”
To do this, the office was set up to help “the Government and the private sector […] work together as ‘trusted partners and co-creators of solutions'”.
DISG will be the “first stop” for firms in digital industry-related matters, and will even help them in aspects like “securing talent and market access, building capabilities and [going] international”.
Mr Iswaran also revealed that the DISG helped support the establishment of Grab’s new headquarters in Singapore.
“There are several other projects of similar ilk in the DISG pipeline, which will also bring broader benefits for Singapore’s digital ecosystem, including the creation of an estimated 10,000 new jobs over the next three years,” he added.
Beyond tech jobs, roles in areas like finance, HR, innovation, and business development will also be created.
According to a press release, the new office will bring together 45 existing officers from the Economic Development Board (EDB), Enterprise Singapore, and the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA).
The idea of a ‘Digital Economy Agreement’ was also raised by Mr Iswaran, which is set to be a “new form of agreement which anchors cooperation among like-minded countries on the digital economy”.
These Agreements aim to “put in place clear and harmonised rules for greater interoperability between digital frameworks, and to guard against digital and data barriers”.
“[They] will also establish international rules and benchmarks, to address newer areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital identities.”