Join the Economist Service

If you are interested in joining the ES, you can start applying during your final year of university.

You should meet the following criteria:

• A good degree in Economics

• Quantitative skills, particularly empirical econometrics and/or data analytics

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to express complex ideas simply and logically

You are welcome to apply if you are an experienced professional economist, or if you are keen to make a career switch.

You must have at least a Bachelor's degree in Economics.

Mid-career professionals who have successfully joined the ES come from a wide range of backgrounds, including:

• Academic faculty members from local and overseas universities

• Analysts from leading global and local banks

• Public sector officers from Ministries and statutory boards

We consider applications as and when they are received.

Our rigorous and competitive selection process includes the following:

• A written test covering Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and Econometrics

• An interview with a panel of senior ES officers

Please download our MTI Economist Service Brochure [PDF, 7.5 MB] to learn more about Economist Service and the exciting opportunities available. You may send any queries to MTI_ES@mti.gov.sg.

• The scholarship is for undergraduate studies in Economics.

• Double degree of major in Economics / Econometrics and any other related disciplines such as Computer Science, Data Analytics, Mathematics, and Statistics may also be considered.

Local and reputable overseas universities.

• Tuition fees and other approved charges

• Maintenance and other allowances

• Return economy class airfare (if relevant)

• Possible sponsorship of Master’s degree

• 4 years for local studies

• 6 years for overseas studies

Candidates should:

• Be Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents (intending to take up Singapore citizenship)

• Possess either GCE 'A' levels (attempted at least 11 academic units), International Baccalaureate or NUS High School Diploma (for those applying for undergraduate scholarship)

• Outstanding undergraduate results (for those applying for the mid-term scholarship; applicable for Year 1 to penultimate year students only)

• Have good co-curricular activities (CCA) records

• Have strong leadership qualities

• Have a keen interest in the application of Economics to the analysis of public policies

Although we typically offer internships during the summer cycle (May to September), applications for other start dates could also be considered. ES internships could be under the supervision of ES officers in MTI or other government agencies.

We expect interns to commit at least ten weeks for the internship for a meaningful and enriching experience.

All internship applicants should have a strong interest in applying Economics to public policy. We accept applications from pre-university, undergraduate or graduate students. We are especially interested in applicants with a strong and demonstrable interest in Economics, and preferably prior experience in undertaking a quantitative/Economics-related research project. Candidates with the following skills will have an advantage:

• Familiarity with statistical/mathematical tools or general-purpose programming languages (e.g., Stata, R, Python);

• Familiarity with general techniques used for programme evaluation and causal inference (e.g., instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity designs); and

• Familiarity with basic data science techniques (e.g., machine learning) and/or web-scraping.

As places are limited, priority will be given to penultimate-year university students.