A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering of the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1974

This research has been aimed at the analysis of the. growth and expansion of the manufacturi.ng sector in Singapore, the illumination of the important features and characteristics of that sector and of the various industrial major groups comprising it, and the investigation of the development and characteristics of the textile and. garment industries in particular. A brief account of Singapore' s economic history was presented and the rationale of industrialization was derived therefrom. The resource base specific to the industrial development process in the Republic and the role of the Government in the initiation and guidance of that process were thereafter identified. The growth of the manufacturi.ng sector and the performance of the industrial major groups comprising that sector for the period 1960-1971 were analyzed in terms of number of establishments, employment, output, gross value added and direct exports. The impact of foreign investments and the Pioneer Industries Program on manufacturing: growth and development was then assessed. The structure and characteristics of the manufacturing sector were presented and discussed. This was followed by a detailed study of the development and characteristics of the textile and. garment industries. Finally, the present state of development of the manufacturing sector was discussed. The future development potentials of the manufacturi.ng sector were identified and the areas where attention on relevant policy ·should be devoted were delineated. Recommendation for future work were then enumerated.