It is crucial for NEA to build robust capabilities, given our diverse scope of work and wide-ranging stakeholders who depend on our policies and services. Continuously improving our internal capabilities allows us to respond swiftly and effectively in today’s complex environment.
Fostering a Sense of Belonging
People are central to NEA’s organisational performance and excellence. NEA continues to foster a sense of belonging and promote the development and professionalism of our people.
To achieve this, NEA has five long-term human resource strategies:
- Brand NEA to attract the right talent
- Develop workforce capabilities
- Build an engaged and resilient workforce
- Grow leadership pipeline
- Improve human resource processes and systems
Driving Employee Engagement
NEA’s Employee Engagement (EE) Framework aims to engage staff beyond their core work by tailoring to their different needs through the EE Framework. The framework is also aligned with the Public Service Cares initiative that supports the Singapore Cares (SG Cares) movement to build a caring and inclusive society.
Creating a Positive Work Environment
NEA creates a positive work environment for our employees through fair employment and work-life effectiveness. Our management is actively involved in setting the vision and direction, policy formulation, implementation and feedback loop for fair employment practices. We signed the Employers’ Pledge of Fair Employment Practices in April 2007, to review employment practices regularly in order to align with the fair employment principles set out by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices. NEA’s terms of employment are also guided by Singapore’s legislations, including the Employment Act 1968, Workplace Safety and Health Act 2006, and the Retirement and Re-employment Act 1993.
NEA’s journey towards a future-ready workforce led to the development of a set of Cultural Capabilities, which guide our staff in acquiring desirable traits to cope with the transformation.
As of 31 March 2022, NEA had a diverse workforce of 3,799 working in various locations islandwide.
Breakdown by Age
NEA continued to recruit employees of all ages, with those between the ages of 30 to 50 years old leading the group.
No. of Employees in NEA
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| > 50 years old | 1444 (40%) | 1426 (37%) | 1470 (39%) |
| 30-50 years old | 1719 (47%)
| 1845 (49%) | 1870 (49%) |
| <30 years old | 491 (13%) | 520 (14%) | 459 (12%) |
No. of Employees Recruited
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| > 50 years old | 19 (5%) | 13 (3%) | 82 (17%) |
| 30-50 years old | 164 (44%)
| 207 (50%) | 255 (54%) |
| <30 years old | 189 (51%) | 191 (47%) | 138 (29%) |
No. of Employees Who Left NEA
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| > 50 years old | 150 (55%) | 95 (35%) | 188 (39%) |
| 30-50 years old | 132 (40%)
| 123 (45%) | 209 (43%) |
| <30 years old | 51 (15%) | 56 (20%) | 87 (18%) |
Breakdown by Gender
Due to the nature of NEA’s operational work which is skewed towards enforcement and
field operations, there are more male applicants and hence higher chances of a male
assuming the post. Nevertheless, both genders are given equal consideration in the
recruitment process.
No. of Employees in NEA
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| Female | 1,241 (34%) | 1,309 (35%) | 1,314 (35%) |
| Male | 2,413 (66%)
| 2,482 (65%) | 2,485 (65%) |
No. of Employees Recruited
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| Female | 147 (40%) | 165 (40%) | 159 (33%) |
| Male | 225 (60%)
| 246 (60%) | 316 (67%) |
No. of Employees Who Left NEA
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| Female | 98 (29%) | 97 (35%) | 160 (33%) |
| Male | 235 (71%)
| 177 (65%) | 324 (67%) |
Breakdown by Employment Type
The majority of our employees are employed on a full-time basis. During COVID-19, Safe
Distancing Ambassadors (SDA) were the most common type of workers who were not NEA’s employees. These SDAs were engaged to conduct safe management and engagement operations at NEA-managed hawker centres and markets. They were engaged through recruitment agencies appointed under VITAL, or via business-to-business contracts with the private sector for the redeployment of their staff to NEA.
No. of Non-employees
| FY20 | FY21 |
| SDAs | 399 (77%) | 273 (82%) |
| Others | 120 (23%) | 60 (18%) |
Compared to FY2020, the total number of SDAs in the current reporting period had declined as Singapore progressed towards endemicity. Apart from the SDAs, the number of workers engaged for other reasons had also declined by more than 40 per cent, primarily due to the implementation of a tightened criteria in May 2021 for the engagement of such workers.
We support our staff in their parenthood journey by providing paid parental leave to both male and female employees. Doing so aims to encourage shared parental responsibilities and strengthen family bonds.
Our HR policies support the career development of employees with families, and affirm our continued commitment to equality and diversity in the workplace. This has paid off with a high retention rate among male and female employees who took parental leave in FY2021. Among the employees who returned to work after their parental leave ended, 94 per cent were still employed 12 months later.
Return-to-work and Retention Rates of Employees Who Took Parental Leave
| Indicators | Male Employees | Female Employees |
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| Return-to-work Rate1 | 100% | 99% | 100% | 96% | 100%
| 100% |
| Retention Rate2 | 99% | 95% | 83% | 90% | 95%
| 84% |
No. of Employees Who Took Parental Leave
| | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| Female | 52 | 56 | 51 |
| Male | 85 | 111 | 98 |
No. of Employees Who Returned to Work After Taking Parental Leave
| FY19 | FY20 | FY21 |
| Female | 50 | 56 | 51 |
| Male | 85 | 110 | 98 |
Promoting Workplace Safety and Health
Workplace safety and health (WSH) is a top priority for NEA. WSH matters are reviewed and managed by a network of stakeholders across the organisation, who report to the Enterprise Risk and Safety Steering Committee for strategic guidance.
To promote a strong safety culture under the WSH Governance Structure, we actively monitor our WSH performance, systematically review and address safety risks, and raise awareness of good practices.
WSH Governance Structure
In 2021, 40 workplace injuries were reported, four of which were sustained by workers who were not NEA employees. The majority of cases were minor injuries, with the most common incident type being ‘Slips, Trips and Falls’. All incidents were investigated, with learning lessons shared across the organisation in a timely manner.
In September 2021, a localised explosion in the electrical switch room of the Tuas Incineration Plant resulted in two workplace fatalities and one major injury. We provided support to the affected families, and worked closely with MOM, the Singapore Civil Defence Force, and other technical agencies to investigate the incident. The team also conducted extensive checks on the machinery and reviewed safety procedures before resuming partial operations in October 2021. NEA also stepped up emphasis on workplace safety across all our sites.
Employee Workplace Injuries in 2021
| No. of Injuries | Injury Rate per 100,000 workers |
| No. of Fatal Injuries | 2 | 51.4 |
| No. of Major Injuries | 1 | 25.7 |
| No. of Minor Injuries | 33 | 847.9 |
Apart from monitoring workplace injuries, NEA incentivises holistic WSH performance through internal WSH Scoreboard Awards for low incident rates, strong WSH programmes and innovation, and safe work practices. Safety briefings and trainings are also regularly conducted to raise awareness of work-related hazards and safety incidents.
Strengthening Corporate Practices and Governance
NEA has put in place best practices to ensure continued transparency and accountability to stakeholders. Other government agencies, such as the Ministry of Finance and the Auditor-General’s Office, serve as external controls to reinforce ethical and responsible conduct within NEA.
NEA is funded mainly by government grants. It is vital that NEA makes financially responsible and sustainable decisions for daily operations. NEA puts in place the following practices to ensure financial sustainability:
Regular Review of Fees and Charges
Fees and charges are reviewed periodically and are set based on policy intent. The principles and policy considerations when setting fees and charges are:
- Recovering costs directly from the users of that service
- Accounting for the full cost incurred in providing a good or service
- Ensuring that NEA does not compete with the private sector in the provision of goods and services
- Keeping costs affordable and fees low, by striving to improve business processes
Continual Review of Financial Policies
To ensure resource optimisation and to uphold good corporate governance, NEA sets prudent financial policies and procedures, and reviews them regularly. These policies and procedures are published on the intranet to ensure compliance as well as to standardise departments’ practices.
Optimal Budget and Resource Allocation
The budget for the new FY is approved by the NEA Board before the start of each FY.
As fiscal resources are limited, the budget must be allocated optimally among departments. To ensure accountability and responsible budgeting, a budget utilisation rate of 95 per cent is set as a target for departments to achieve. Periodic performance reviews against budget allocation are conducted with departments, and reported at management meetings regularly.