Information economy and changing occupational structure in Singapore

Using population census data since 1921, this article traces changes in emp loyment and occupational structure in Singapore in the past 80 years. This is a follow-up to an earlier paper by Kuo and Chen (1987) that reported the nascent formation of the information society in Singapore till the 1980s. It also makes an assessment of the role of proactive government policies in directing industrial restructuring and occupational changes in this city-s tate. It is found that the long-term growing trend in information-elated occupati ons has been in tandem and supportive of industrial changes in Singapore. O ne more wave of growth of information producers (and certainly, innovators) and information distributors is expected in the next couple of decades. Th e momentum has started, and competition from regional countries similarly a spiring to be information and knowledge economies will quicken the pace. Th e government has initiated fundamental changes in the educational system to meet the challenges of the knowledge-based economy. The small city-state h as also long adopted an adaptive philosophy to be responsive to the ever-ch anging environment, either in technology or in regional politics. Based on the trend analysis, it is expected that the emergent information society wi ll graduate into full status when Singapore attains a developed country sta tus in the forthcoming decades.