Singapore's manufacturing sector as engine for economic growth: Past, present and future

Despite her small size and population, Singapore has undergone a remarkable economic transformation in the past three decades, driven by its twin engines of growth, manufacturing and services. The shift from labor-intensive industries in the 1960s to the capital- and skill-intensive in the 1970s, then technology-intensive in the 1980s and knowledge-driven industries in the 1990s are described. The paper also discusses the different factors contributing to the success of Singapore's manufacturing industry and how the country positions itself in the new millennium with Industry 21, the economic blueprint drawn up for the 21st century. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.