Spectral lines: An electronic nation

Singapore is an independent island-republic with 2.5 million inhabitants, whose economy is strongly dependent on electronics, computers, and automation. It has had some difficulty finding enough nationals to handle the current and anticipated expansion in the light electronic-assembly tasks that are the lifeblood of its economic expansion. Singapore's major trading partners are the United States, Japan, Malaysia, and the European Economic Community. Over the past 10 years the electronics sector has multiplied 10-fold, accounting for about one-third the total value-added in the manufacturing sector. The Singapore Section of IEEE has 1678 members.