GovTech retrenched 93 staff in July 2026 as the first phase of a two-year restructuring exercise involving 305 officers in total [1, 2, 3, 4]. The agency employs about 3,900 people and expects 7 to 9% of roles to be affected over the full restructuring period [1, 2, 3, 4].
Officers aged 40 to 49 made up 42% of those retrenched, while about 30% were aged above 50 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Two-thirds of the affected officers were individual contributors, with the remaining one-third team leaders [1, 2, 3]. The median tenure of retrenched officers was 5.4 years, similar to a six-year median for those undergoing job conversion and apprenticeship pathways [1, 2, 3]. Senior Minister of State Jasmin Lau said there was "no significant difference in tenure between the exiting officers and those on retraining pathways" [2].
In addition to retrenchment, 102 officers were retained or redeployed, and 110 were placed on retraining and apprenticeship programs during the first phase [1, 2, 3]. Contract officers in project and vendor management roles were more likely to be affected by the changes [1, 2, 3, 4].
The restructuring aims to shift GovTech's focus from managing vendor-delivered projects to owning and running digital products in-house, with plans to grow the workforce to include more software engineers, data specialists, and cybersecurity experts [1, 2, 3, 4]. Chng Kai Fong noted the move "is meant to shift GovTech’s focus from managing projects delivered by vendors to owning and running products in-house" [3]. Jasmin Lau added that GovTech "still value[s] the expertise that industry and vendors bring" and will continue working closely with external vendors despite the shift [4].
GovTech first assessed its future job roles before evaluating individual officers based on "competencies, domain expertise, job fit and readiness for the roles required," Lau said [1].
GovTech revealed details on the retrenchment in Parliament on August 4, 2026, when Senior Minister of State Jasmin Lau provided updates to lawmakers [1, 2, 3, 4]. The agency will continue its restructuring over the next year as it restructures 7-9% of total roles.
