Digital citizen engagement has gone from a pre-pandemic nice-to-have to a must-have today. As Blackbox continues to measure the digital transformation of 30 public sector organisations through our Public Service Experience Index (PSXI) initiative for the third consecutive year, we appreciate that all agencies seek to remain steadfast on a digital trajectory.
However, this is easier said than done. The rapid digitalisation as we entered the pandemic saw a burst in scores across all organisations. This seems to have tapered a bit in 2021, even as Singapore is on the right digital growth path.
To take all Singaporeans along this digitalisation journey, we will have to help seniors adopt digital tools as well with programmes like Seniors Go Digital and Mobile Access For Seniors by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
Interestingly, Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) have scored public sector organisations less favourably in stark contrast to last year when it was the non-PMETs who rated them the other way.
We have also seen 13 out of the 30 organisations improve on their 2020 rank, confirming growth in digitalisation across the public sector.
Continue reading for a comprehensive overview of individual and average scores, the growth of organisations over the last 3 years, interesting trends, and much more in our full report.
About
Singapore leading the way
Singapore has one of the region's most progressive and conducive approach to digital technologies.
The Singapore government's emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness of government-driven frameworks is evident at every stage of the planning and implementation of its digitalisation plans.
While Singapore's approach to digitalisation is exemplary, it remains essential for policymakers to anticipate the next stage of its digital transformation.
To stay useful and relevant to citizens, public sector agencies will find it immensively useful to examine how their digital offerings are used, valued, and perceived — that's where the PSXI comes in.
Benchmarking digitalisation for smarter decision-making
The Public Service Experience Index (PSXI) is an all-round composite index that measures where 30 public sector organisations — Ministries, Statutory Boards, and other agencies — stand in terms of their digitalisation journeys across three key indicators: Impressions, Sentiments, and Interactions.
A longitudinal index, the PSXI tracks public sector organisations' digitalisation journeys, benchmarking their progress over time and revealing the ideal scope and pace of change for agencies to set or re-visit strategic timelines, resources, and priorities.
Data
Looking at PSXI data over time, it is clear that much progress has been made since 2019. The overall PSXI score improved in 2020 to 46.7, but dipped in 2021 to 41.5. A total of 12 agencies scored above this average score, with five agencies scoring in the 50-69 range.
The Health Promotion Board (HPB) was the top-placed agency for the third year in a row, with a score of 69.8 in 2021. The National Parks Board (Nparks) comes in second with a score of 66.0, followed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) with a score of 64.2. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) come in at fourth place with a score of 59.9, with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) in fifth, with a score of 56.8.
The PSXI also revealed a digital divide across generational lines, with youths rating the public sector organisations more favourably compared to seniors. The overall PSXI score for youths is 48.4, compared to 38.3 for seniors.
