Literacy
Singapore not only has a high literacy rate but is also known for the high computer literacy rate of its citizens. In 1990 the number of people age fifteen and over that can read and write was 89%. The literacy rate of males was 95% and was 83% for females.(19)
In terms of computer literacy in Singapore, the nation was ranked number one in this area in 1994 by the World Competitiveness Report.
English fluency
There are four official languages of Singapore: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English. Since English is one of the official languages it has an advantage when producing computer related equipment due to the fact that English is the universal language of information technology.
Computer-related higher education
IT schools are of high importance to the government of Singapore. Tertiary institutions have computer intensive campus-wide networks. In addition, all schools are well equipped with computers for administrative and educational uses.
The 1994 World Competitiveness Report ranked Singapore at the top for its educational system which is structured to provide the skills needed for a competitive economy. Specialist IT Institutions in Singapore include the GINTIC Institute of Manufacturing Technology, the Information Communication Institute of Singapore, the Institute of Systems Science, and the Japan-Singapore AI Centre. These institutions cover such topics as knowledge systems, software engineering, telecommunications, and computer integrated manufacturing. In Singapore, generalist IT training is also offered at its two universities and four polytechnic institutes which help to produce more than 2,000 new IT professionals each year.(20)
Because of the growing number of IT professionals and computer literate people in Singapore, the wages these people are paid continues to grow. In US$'s, wages have been rising at a rate of up to 15% a year over the past few years. However, on the positive side, Singapore's work force continues to be rated the best in Asia, with Hong Kong and the Philippines following behind.(21)
Software professionals
In 1994 there were 4.11 software professionals per 1,000 people in Singapore. Even though Singapore is a small island nation this number is low compared with the 7.88 software professionals per 1000 in Japan and 7.93 per 1000 in the U.S. (22)
Emigration (brain-drain) of computer
professionals
In Singapore IT process development engineers play an important role in Singapore's IT industry because of their high level of skills. As a result, people with this knowledge are often brought to the U.S. to be part of the early stages in the product design cycle.(23) However, there are many IT opportunities in Singapore because of the islands commitment to IT and the future. Many companies choose to locate their operations in Singapore because of the skilled engineers and experienced production managers. This gives an incentive to citizens of Singapore to come back to the country if they have received their education in another part of the world.
Computer Organizations
There are a number of computer related organizations that have been established in Singapore in order to promote the development and use of information technology in the country. In 1985, the GINTIC Institute of CIM was established as a CAD/CAM center. Shortly after, it merged with the Institute of Manufacturing Technology to form the GINTIC Institute of Manufacturing Technology (GIMT). Two years later, in 1987, the Singapore Economic Development Board started the National Automation Master Planning Committee which makes recommendations for the advancement of factory automation in Singapore. In 1990, the Design Support Center (DSC) was set up by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and the Singapore Institute of Architects Building center to promote the use of computer aided design (CAD) in the construction industry.
R&D in information technology
Since 1990, the number of R&D engineers/technicians per 10,000 employees in the electronics and electrical industries has been increasing. In 1990, there were approximately 90 R&D engineers per 10,000 employees with that number increasing to over 200 in 1992.
Six research institutions have been started in Singapore to encourage IT R&D in the areas of telecommunications, computer integrated manufacturing, software engineering, intelligent systems, wireless computing, parallel processing, and digital media, with many of these activities taking place in the Singapore Science Park which is the hub of IT activities for the nation. However, because of Singapore's small size, it often takes part in joint projects with other internationally known R&D centers in order to meet its needs.
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