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Government Leaders



Mr. Gan Kim Yong
Minister for Manpower
Singapore


Mr Gan was awarded the Overseas Merit Scholarship to read Engineering in Cambridge University and graduated with a Bachelor degree (Honours) in 1981. Mr Gan subsequently obtained his Master’s Degree in Engineering from Cambridge University in 1985. He joined the Administrative Service and worked at the Ministry of Trade & Industry and Ministry of Home Affairs. In 1989, Mr Gan left the Administrative Service for the private sector and joined NatSteel Ltd as a manager for Corporate Planning. He was promoted to Executive Vice President of NatSteel and CEO of NatSteel Resorts International and NatSteel Properties in 1996. He became the CEO and President of NatSteel in 2005.

In 2001, Mr Gan became a Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC. During the 2006 General Elections, he stood in Chua Chu Kang SMC and won. He has served as a member of the Remaking Singapore Committee and a member of the Public Accounts Committee in 2002. He was also the Chairman for the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education in 2005.

Mr Gan was appointed Minister of State for Education and Minister of State for Manpower concurrently in 2005. He was promoted to Acting Minister for Manpower in April 2008, and took on his role as full Minister in April 2009.

Mr Gan has been instrumental in overseeing and developing manpower policies to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing business environment in Singapore, These include the introduction of CPF LIFE, re-employment legislation which will take effect by 2012, and the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) under the tripartite partnership.

Together with tripartite partners, Mr Gan is leading MOM to build a first class Continuing Education and Training (CET) system for a globally competitive Singapore workforce. Mr Gan also leads national committees such as the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers and the Tripartite Panel on Community Engagement at Workplaces. Mr Gan also serves as Advisor of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices and is a member of the Economic Strategies Committee.


Singapore is located 1 degree or 136.8km north of the equator. It has a total land area of 699 square kilometers and a population of about four million. Situated at the crossroads of East and West, Singapore is one of the busiest sea and airports in the world. Its strategic position has also made it a hub for trade, communications and tourism activities.

Singapore is known for its hot and humid weather, with little variation throughout the year. The average daytime temperature is 31ºC (88ºF), dropping to around 24ºC (75ºF) in the evenings. The monsoon season can bear down pretty heavily on our tropical weather from November onwards, so be prepared for rain on a daily basis during this period.

Singapore voltage is 220 – 240 volts AC, 50 cycles per second.

The currency used in Singapore is the Singapore dollar (S$). Money changing services can be found not only at the Singapore Changi Airport but also most shopping centres and hotels around the island. You can also access the automated teller machines (ATMs) located everywhere (even in the most obscure bits) in Singapore, that accept most of the main credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Visa may be required for certain nationalities. Please visit www.ica.gov.sg to verify if you need to apply for a visa before entering into Singapore. The visa application form is available free of charge at all Singapore overseas mission. Should you require a invitation letter to support your visa letter, kindly write in to the Secretariat for your request. Please also note that visitors to Singapore must meet the following entry requirements:-