Exclusive: Singapore launches platform to rent skills from agencies
By Charlene Chin
New digital tool lets departments borrow staff with relevant skillsets.
Singapore Government is trialling a digital platform that allows agencies to borrow officials with relevant skillsets from other departments.
The effort, called ‘#ShareYourSkills’, is hosted on Workplace by Facebook, the professional offering of the social network.
Skills can range from document translations, video production, corporate planning and organisational development, Charlene Chang, Senior Director of Development at PS21 told GovInsider.
Both users and agencies will be rated according to performance, similar to how Uber and AirBnb operates, she said.
Through the scheme, the government hopes to empower and motivate officers, help them understand another agency’s work, and maximise resources within the public service, she continued.
The approach is user-guided, and “there’s no central matching” by the government, Chang says. “We didn’t want to stifle and kill it before it started.”
PS21 believes that the system will reduce reliance on consultancies and external agencies, and allow better deployment of internal skills.
This may not just reflect the working role of an official, but also their other talents - especially in the creative industries and in computer skills. #ShareYourSkills started in October, and the pilot will run for half a year.
Now read our full interview: Exclusive: Why this unit brought Facebook into Singapore’s Government Image by Public Service Division (Singapore)