THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION AND ITS ROLE IN PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is one of the main central personnel agencies in Singapore. In public personnel administration (PPA), the PSC functions as the "gate-keeper" of the Singapore Civil Service (SCS), by ensuring that public personnel appointment, promotion, and discipline are in keeping with the guiding principles of merit and impartiality. The objectives of this academic exercise are: (1) to discuss the role of the PSC in PPA; (2) to account for the impact of the environmental factors on the roles of the PSC; (3) to evaluate the performance of the PSC in PPA. The PSC's role in PPA includes: localization, "gate-keeping", and manpower control. The economic and political factors have greatly influenced the development of the PSC over the years, bringing about changes to its role in PPA. The primary role of the PSC is "gate-keeping" as localization of the SCS is no longer relevant today, while manpower control is not a major concern of the PSC. The performance of the PSC is evaluated in terms of its volume of work, prestige, and personnel functions. On the whole the PSC has been an effective agency. Changes to the public personnel system in 1983, which brought about the establishment of the Public Service Division, did not relegate the PSC to a subsidiary position in PPA. The PSC is still an important body due to the political and social implications of its existence in the Singapore society.