About Er. Jessica Yip, Mechanical PE Singapore

Er. Jessica Yip is with Deneed Services Pte. Ltd., a building-services engineering consultancy. The Deneed name has been in practice since 1985: it operated as Deneed Services until 2016 and was incorporated as Deneed Services Pte. Ltd. on 2 November 2016 (UEN 201630106Z).

She came back

She is a mother of two sons. Like many engineers who are also parents, she stepped back from practice. She could have stayed retired. She came back because Singapore's mechanical sector is short of Professional Engineers and she knew her experience could help. Her name entered the Professional Engineers Board's register in the mechanical branch on 26 January 2023.

A worker on a lift installing building services in a ceiling — The work she returned to: the building services overhead that keep Singapore's buildings safe. Illustrative photograph.

Above all, she is talented. In building services, talent is more than sizing a chiller or laying out a sprinkler grid. It means knowing the regulations well enough to find the simplest compliant route for the client, and being decent enough to recommend it even when it means you are not hired. That is how we came to know her. Our client should have engaged her; instead, she showed them a way to comply that didn't need her, and she did not charge for the advice. She has done the same for others.

“If it helps, it helps.”

Her ambition is a modest one: to contribute, in a small way, as part of the ecosystem.

Timeline

1985The Deneed practice begins as a building-services consultancy.
2 November 2016Deneed Services Pte. Ltd. is incorporated (UEN 201630106Z).
26 January 2023Jessica is registered as a Professional Engineer (Mechanical), in the largest single-year group of mechanical PEs still practising (34 engineers).
2 November 2026Deneed Services Pte. Ltd. turns ten. CVC Engineers presents this website as a gift.

The numbers behind her story

We wanted to know whether her story was unusual or typical, so we checked the public data. It is unusual on almost every count.

1. She is a mechanical PE, and only 561 are practising.

On 1 November 2026 the PEB's directory of PEs with a practising certificate listed 2,775 engineers: 1,458 civil, 711 electrical, 561 mechanical and 40 chemical. For a population of 6.11 million (June 2025), that is about one practising mechanical PE for every 11,000 people.

The 561 practising mechanical PEs, by decade of registration. 152 (27%) registered before 2000. *2020s = Jan 2020 to Nov 2026. Source: PEB directory (data.gov.sg), 1 Nov 2026; CVC Engineers analysis.

2. The pool is ageing, and the pipeline is thin.

The median practising mechanical PE was registered in 2007, against 2012 for electrical. 152 of the 561 (27%) were registered before 2000. New mechanical registrations ran at 19, 15, 11, 31 and 26 a year from 2020 to 2024. Engineering's share of university students has fallen from nearly half in 2003 to 22% in 2024. Every experienced mechanical PE who returns adds capacity the system cannot easily replace.

3. She is a woman on a register that is 92% men.

8 in 100: women among registered PEs (340 of 4,231). Source: Professional Engineers Board, July 2024.

The PEB reported 340 women among 4,231 registered PEs (8.0%) in July 2024; among Singapore-registered PEs, 268 of 3,441 (7.8%). Women are about 22% of engineering admissions at Singapore universities, so many leave between the lecture hall and the PE stamp. The PEB does not publish a gender split by branch. If 8% applied to the mechanical branch, there would be roughly 45 women among the 561 practising mechanical PEs. That is an estimate, not an official figure.

Two women engineers in hard hats shaking hands in front of a city skyline — Women are 8% of Singapore's PE register. Illustrative photograph.

4. She is a mother who came back, and the data shows how hard that is.

The Ministry of Manpower's Labour Force in Singapore 2025 found that 61.5% of women aged 25 to 64 outside the labour force cite family responsibilities. It also found that married women with children are more likely to work part-time, and that potential returners prefer part-time work. Yet Singapore's female part-time employment rate is 5.9%, against an OECD average of 13.7%. Women's participation has risen from 74.1% to 80.5% over the decade, so returners do come back, but the flexible routes in are scarce.

Put together: Er. Jessica Yip is a practising mechanical PE (one of 561), a woman on a register that is 92% men, and a mother of two who came back through a labour market with few flexible routes in. Her story is rare, and the industry is better for it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Er. Jessica Yip's PE registration number?

PEB Registration No. 5498, Mechanical branch, registered 26 January 2023. The PEB lists her under her registered name, Jessica Strauch-Yip Min Yi.

What does 'Er.' mean before a name in Singapore?

'Er.' is the title used by Professional Engineers registered with the Professional Engineers Board, Singapore.

What percentage of Singapore's Professional Engineers are women?

About 8%. A PEB presentation in July 2024 reported 340 women among 4,231 registered Professional Engineers.

Engineer. Mother. Returner.