Josephine Teo | |
|---|---|
| 杨莉明 | |
%2c_Capella_Singapore%2c_31_May_2024_-_cropped.jpg) Teo in 2024 | |
| Minister for Digital Development and Information | |
| Assumed office 15 May 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong |
| Preceded by | S. Iswaran (As Minister for Communications and Information) |
| Second Minister for Home Affairs | |
| In office 11 September 2017 – 23 May 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong |
| Preceded by | Desmond Lee |
| Succeeded by | Edwin Tong |
| Minister for Manpower | |
| In office 1 May 2018 – 14 May 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Lim Swee Say |
| Succeeded by | Tan See Leng |
| Member of Parliament forJalan Besar GRC | |
| Assumed office 10 July 2020 | |
| Preceded by | PAP held |
| Majority |
|
| Member of Parliament forBishan-Toa Payoh GRC | |
| In office 2006–2020 | |
| Preceded by | PAP held |
| Succeeded by | PAP held |
| Majority |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yong Li Min[a] (1968-07-08)8 July 1968 (age 57) |
| Party | People's Action Party |
| Spouse | Teo Eng Cheong |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | National University of Singapore (BA,BSS) London School of Economics (MS) |
| Occupation | Minister |
Josephine Teo (bornYong Li Min[a][b] on 8 July 1968)[2][3] is a Singaporean politician who has been serving asMinister for Digital Development and Information since 2024, Minister-in-charge of theCyber Security Agency andSmart Nation Initiative since 2021 and formerly andSecond Minister for Home Affairs from 2017 to 2025. A member of the governingPeople's Action Party (PAP), she has been theMember of Parliament (MP) representing the Kreta Ayer–Kim Seng division ofJalan Besar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2020.
Prior to entering politics, Teo had worked at theEconomic Development Board (EDB),Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) andNational Trades Union Congress (NTUC). She made her political debut in the2006 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting inBishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won in a walkover.
Prior to the2020 general election, Teo shifted from Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC to Jalan Besar GRC as part of what she called a party renewal strategy.
In 2022, Teo succeededLawrence Wong as Chair of thePAP Community Foundation.[4]
In October 2025, Teo was listed by Fortune as one of its “Most Influential Women”, among 12 women from policymaking, pop culture and professional sports “who together show the diverse ways that power gets expressed across the Asia-Pacific.[5]
Teo attendedDunman High School andRaffles Junior College[6] before graduating from theNational University of Singapore with aBachelor of Arts degree in 1990 and aBachelor of Social Sciences with honours degree in 1991.
During her studies in NUS, she was awarded several prizes, including the Rachel Meyer Book Prize, which is awarded to the best-performing female candidate in theFaculty of Arts and Social Sciences' final-year examinations.[7]
She subsequently went on to complete aMaster of Science degree ineconomics at theLondon School of Economics in 1992 under theEconomic Development Board–Glaxo Scholarship Programme.[7]
Teo worked at theEconomic Development Board (EDB) from 1992 to 2002. She began her career in enterprise development before she was posted toSuzhou as part of the EDB team working on theChina-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, where she was responsible for marketing resources. Upon her return to Singapore, she became the EDB's Head of Human Resources.[7]
From 2002 to 2006, Teo was the Head of Human Resources at theAgency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).[7]
In November 2005, Teo also took on the role of Director of Human Resources at the Administration and Research Unit of theNational Trades Union Congress (NTUC). After she was elected toParliament in 2006, Teo took on additional roles within the NTUC and the labour movement. She served as the Executive Secretary of the Singapore Industrial Services Employees' Union (2006–2011). At the Administration and Research Unit, she served as the Alignment Director (Youth Development) and Alignment Director (Organisation Development) (2007–11), and as the Centric Director (Staff) (2008–2011).[6] She also served as the NTUC's Assistant Secretary-General from 2007 to 2011.[8]
From 2009 to 2011, Teo also served as the Chief Executive Officer ofBusiness China, an organisation aimed at improving cultural and economic ties between Singapore and China.[9]
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Teo made her political debut in the2006 general election when she contested inBishan–Toa Payoh GRC as part of a five-memberPeople's Action Party team. The PAP team won by an uncontested walkover and Teo became a Member of Parliament representing theToa Payoh East ward of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC.
During her first term in Parliament, Teo served as the Chair of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, and as a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs.[10]
Following the2011 general election, Teo along withWong Kan Seng,Hri Kumar,Ng Eng Hen andZainudin Nordin contested inBishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won about 57% - against theSingapore People's Party.
On 18 May 2011, Teo was appointedMinister of State at theMinistry of Finance andMinistry of Transport. She was promoted to Senior Minister of State at the Ministries of Finance and Transport on 1 September 2013, and switched to representing theBishan North ward of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC. She relinquished her position as Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance on 30 September 2015.[11][12]
Following the2015 general election, Teo along withChong Kee Hiong,Chee Hong Tat,Ng Eng Hen andSaktiandi Supaat contested inBishan–Toa Payoh GRC and won about 74%, higher than the previous election against theSingapore People's Party.
On 1 May 2017, Teo was promoted to full Minister and appointedMinister in the Prime Minister's Office,Second Minister for Manpower, andSecond Minister for Foreign Affairs.[13] She also oversaw the National Population and Talent Division, a department in the Prime Minister's Office. On 11 September 2017, she relinquished her portfolio as Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and becameSecond Minister for Home Affairs. On 1 May 2018, Teo succeededLim Swee Say asMinister for Manpower and continued to hold the portfolio of Second Minister for Home Affairs.[14]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, despite effective handling of initial waves of infection, several serious outbreaks in April have brought the situation in Singapore out of control; many analysts points to poor conditions at foreign workers dormitories as a major factor of the failure.[15][16]
The pandemic brought the living conditions at foreign worker dormitories to media attention. Dormitories were reported to be unsanitary and crowded, making preventive measures like social distancing difficult.[17] Retired diplomatTommy Koh criticised the living conditions, calling it "third world" and "a time bomb waiting to explode".[18]Amnesty International called the situation a "recipe for disaster".Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo vowed to improve the living conditions of foreign workers after the quarantine was handled.[19]
On 9 April, MOM said in a press release that it will improve quality of meals of foreign workers during quarantine and formed a task force to improve the living conditions of foreign workers.[20] As of 25 April 25 dormitories have been gazetted as isolation areas.[21] Some healthy workers are also progressively being moved to numerous empty premises such asSAF camps,HDB blocks, floating hotels andChangi Exhibition Centre.[22][23] On 16 April, Teo said that there will be a "three-pronged strategy"; containing the spread, imposing lockdowns and separating workers in essential services.[24]
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Prior to the2020 general election, Teo moved fromBishan-Toa Payoh GRC to contest inJalan Besar GRC.
Teo along withDenise Phua,Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah andHeng Chee How contested in Jalan Besar GRC against thePeoples Voice and won about 65% of the vote. Teo then became the Member of Parliament representing theKreta Ayer-Kim Seng ward of Jalan Besar GRC.
Teo was thePAP Community Foundation executive committee for 12 years as a member and the chairwoman from 2016 to 2020 and in October 2020 she was appointed as deputy chairwoman of thePCF management council.
Following aCabinet reshuffle in May 2021, Teo succeededS. Iswaran asMinister for Communication and Information while continuing to serve asSecond Minister for Home Affairs. In addition, she was appointed Minister-in-charge of theCyber Security Agency and Minister-in-charge of theSmart Nation Initiative.
In June 2022, Teo was announced the newPAP Community Foundation (PCF) management council chairman, taking over fromLawrence Wong who is theMinister of Finance as he is being promoted toDeputy Prime Minister.[25]
During the2025 general election, Teo contestedJalan Besar GRC as the anchor minister for the PAP team.
As Minister for Communications and Information, Teo introduced the Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill which was passed unanimously in Parliament on 9 November 2022.[26]
In 2023, as Second Minister for Home Affairs, Teo introduced the Online Criminal Harms Act, which allowed authorities to take down websites, apps, and online accounts suspected of facilitating criminal behaviour, including scams.[27]
In November 2025, Teo led the passage of a new law - the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill - to offer timely redress and better protection to victims of online harms.The law paved the way for the set-up of a one-stop government Commission, where victims can seek timely and effective support against harmful online content.[28]
In a media interview in October 2016, Teo responded to questions of whether Singaporeans were getting theirHousing and Development Board flats early enough in order to start a family, stating that one "does not need much space to have sex". Teo further added that "in France, in the U.K., in Nordic countries, man meets woman [and] they can make a baby already. They love each other."[29] Teo's words drew flak from on social media, with netizens criticising her for lacking empathy towards couples and being insensitive towards couples' practical considerations such as being able to secure a HDB flat before starting a family, as well as accusing her of promoting premarital sex in conservative Singapore.[30]
When asked about this in a 2019 interview by ST,[31] Teo acknowledged that she “should not have said that. It was meant as a private joke but, you know, when you are in public life, nothing is really private anymore. So, lesson learnt.”
In May 2017, Teo commented on herFacebook page about the high cost of milk powder in Singapore, saying that "milk is milk, however fancy the marketing", and that she would buy whichever was the cheapest brand of milk powder approved for sale by theAgri-Food and Veterinary Authority for her own children.[32]
On 26 October 2018, during a conference held by theInstitute of Policy Studies, Teo commented that implementing aminimum wage in Singapore may instead lead to higher unemployment and that Singapore's income inequality gap is "a problem of success" that is "difficult to overcome".[33] Instead, to address such concerns, Teo said that the Government implemented measures such as the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme, which topped up the income of low-wage workers, “thereby achieving the same uplift as a minimum wage”.[34]
Teo introduced the Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Bill which was passed in Parliament on 15 October 2024. The Bill prohibits the online publication of deepfakes and digitally manipulated content of political candidates during the election period.[35]
Teo is married to Teo Eng Cheong, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City and Investment Development Co (SSTEC) and former Chief Executive Officer ofSurbana Jurong. They have two daughters and a son.[36]
Yong Li Min @ [alias] Mrs Josephine Teo
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister in the Prime Minister's Office 2017 – 2018 Served alongside:Chan Chun Sing,Desmond Lee | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Manpower 2018 – 2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Communications and Information 2021 – present | Incumbent |
| Parliament of Singapore | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC 2006–2020 Served alongside: (2006–2011):Wong Kan Seng,Zainudin Nordin,Hri Kumar Nair,Ng Eng Hen (2011–2015): Wong Kan Seng, Zainudin Nordin, Hri Kumar Nair, Ng Eng Hen (2015–2020):Chong Kee Hiong,Chee Hong Tat, Ng Eng Hen,Saktiandi Supaat | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar GRC 2020–present Served alongside: (2020–2025):Denise Phua,Wan Rizal,Heng Chee How (2025–present): Denise Phua, Wan Rizal,Shawn Loh | Incumbent |
 Current members of theCabinet of Singapore | |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Deputy Prime Minister(s) | |
| Senior Minister(s) | |
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Effective from 23 May 2025 | |
