Jeffrey Siow, the Second Permanent Secretary at both the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, has resigned from the Singapore civil service. He is expected to join politics ahead of a general election likely to take place by mid-2025.
His resignation takes effect on 1 April 2025, according to The Straits Times.
At 46, Siow is currently the most senior public servant to step down during this electoral cycle.
Siow’s career in public service spans two decades and includes senior positions across multiple ministries and statutory boards.
His leadership roles have focused on economic growth, workforce development, digital transformation, and business innovation.
He was appointed Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Manpower in January 2024, and later took on the same role at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in September 2024.
In these roles, he led initiatives to build a progressive workforce and a robust, innovation-driven economy, while strengthening Singapore’s competitiveness amid global uncertainty.
Prior to these appointments, Siow served as the first Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise Singapore from September 2021 to December 2023.
There, he oversaw strategies to support local enterprises in scaling up, innovating, and internationalising.
He was concurrently Chairman of SEEDS Capital, Enterprise Singapore’s investment arm, from September 2021 to April 2024.
In that role, he steered early-stage funding strategies for startups and helped drive venture investments in deep-tech and innovation-led sectors.
From 2017 to 2021, Siow served as Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The post is known for grooming future leaders.
Alumni of this role include Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.
Earlier in his career, Siow was Director at the Ministry of Transport from 2012 to 2017.
He also served at the Ministry of Education from 2009 to 2011 as Deputy Director, where he developed policy frameworks for polytechnic and vocational education and played a key role in establishing overseas university collaborations.
He sat on the boards of SIM University and LASALLE College of the Arts during this time.
From 2005 to 2009, he was a Deputy Director at the Civil Service College, where he contributed to training and development programmes for public sector leaders.
Siow also spent a year at the MIT Sloan School of Management as a Sloan Fellow, earning an MBA in 2012 with a focus on strategic leadership.
He was a Board Member of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) from 2017 to 2022, where he helped guide digital transformation strategies at the national level.
His wide-ranging experience has given him exposure to mergers and acquisitions, business strategy, and fundraising—skills that analysts say are increasingly relevant in modern governance.
Siow’s departure follows a trend of resignations from senior civil servants in the lead-up to general elections.
On 25 March, The Straits Times reported that Goh Han Yan, a director at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, will leave the service on 3 April and speculated to enter politics.
Other recent exits include Jasmin Lau, Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Health, and Foo Cexiang, a director at the Ministry of Transport.
The PAP has a long-standing tradition of drawing candidates from the public sector, where experienced administrators are often viewed as being ready for high office. Civil servants must resign before engaging in political activity.
Several former permanent secretaries who entered politics have quickly risen to Cabinet. Chee Hong Tat, for instance, was a Second Permanent Secretary at MTI before contesting the 2015 election and now serves as Minister for Transport.
DPM Heng Swee Keat, also a former MTI permanent secretary, went on to head the Monetary Authority of Singapore before joining politics in 2011. He was appointed Education Minister in his first term.
Siow’s early departure has prompted speculation that new candidates could be introduced soon.
With signs pointing to a possible May 2025 election, political watchers expect further resignations in the coming weeks.
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