SINGAPORE: As artificial intelligence changes the nature of work, Singapore must enable enterprises to transform with the technology in a way that benefits workers, and enable workers to seize new opportunities, labour chief Ng Chee Meng said on Tuesday (May 5).
"Enterprises must be empowered to adopt AI, with workers actively involved so that transformation delivers stronger business performance and better workforce outcomes," Mr Ng told parliament.
As AI's impact on jobs evolves, having clearer signals, better pathways and practical support will also help youths and workers move into new opportunities, said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general.
He highlighted the need to build market intelligence that anticipates how jobs will evolve in the new economy, and to support displaced workers to recover with dignity and confidence.
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Mr Ng (PAP-Jalan Kayu) was delivering a private member's motion on "an AI transition with no jobless growth" that he moved with Mr Saktiandi Supaat (PAP-Bishan-Toa Payoh), Ms Yeo Wan Ling (PAP-Punggol) and Nominated Member of Parliament Mark Lee.
The motion called on parliament to:
In his speech, Mr Ng gave the reason behind the motion, which was to set out a clear agenda for AI adoption so that Singapore can avoid the "extreme" outcomes seen elsewhere.
"At one extreme, some societies allow technology to race ahead. Displaced workers are left to fend for themselves. Economists warn of scars when job disruption is unmanaged.
"At the other extreme, fear takes hold. Workers push back defensively. In Hollywood, writers and actors have taken to picket lines and public demonstrations over the use of AI.
"These are not paths that we want for Singapore," said Mr Ng, who has led the labour movement since 2018.
In his 33-minute speech, the labour chief called for more funding to scale up NTUC's company training committees, in which unionists work with company management to transform their businesses while uplifting workers.
He said NTUC intends to scale up its AI-Ready SG initiative to provide more than 1 million places for workers to train in AI skills over the next few years.
He also repeated a call for the government to raise the income ceiling of the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme to cover involuntarily unemployed professionals, managers and executives (PMEs).
This is the first motion NTUC has tabled in more than a decade. Its last motion, on inclusive economic growth and support for low-skilled and low-wage workers, was tabled in 2011.
A total of 19 MPs are scheduled to debate the motion on Wednesday. MPs will vote on the motion after the debate.
Mr Ng said this phase of economic growth differs from the past because of the speed at which AI is advancing.
One in five respondents in an NTUC survey cited job security as their top concern, owing to anxieties around AI and automation, among other things.
Businesses also want to transform but have to consider their workforce readiness and implementation costs, Mr Ng added.
For this reason, he said Singapore must "act early" and strengthen its response to AI-enabled growth before disruption takes hold.
He listed three desired outcomes of this push: "To grow our economic pie as large as possible, while ensuring that this growth translates into good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans.
"To enable enterprises to use AI technologies to transform, and train workers to do higher-value work, take on broader roles, and create more value.
"To invest in our workers and empower them, preparing them early to move into AI-augmented roles."
When used well, AI can raise productivity, unlock new possibilities and strengthen competitiveness, said Mr Ng.
"But every worker who puts in their fair share of effort must be able to see where they can fit into this new economy – and be supported to get there.
"This is how we anchor AI-enabled growth in fairness, resilience and opportunity for all."
Mr Ng then noted that tripartite partners have stepped up together in the past when technology reshaped work, such as in the national computerisation drive of the 1980s.
In the AI era, the government, unions and employers must do likewise, he said.
To that end, the government has set up a National AI Council chaired by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, while NTUC has launched AI-Ready SG to empower more workers to train and use AI skills.
The recently launched Tripartite Jobs Council will also support enterprise transformation, job redesign and worker transitions, he said.
The labour chief then gave further details on what the new tripartite council will focus on.
For fresh graduates with anxieties about entering the workforce, Mr Ng outlined how youths can be better supported to seize new opportunities.
He said the Tripartite Jobs Council will strengthen its outreach to institutes of higher learning so that students can gain labour market insights and plan their career moves during their studies.
There could be room for earlier career guidance, better insight into employer needs and stronger matching for internships and entry-level roles, he said.
As for PMEs and mid-career workers, he said many have expressed a need to improve their skills to keep pace with AI.
To this, Mr Ng pointed to the planned expansion of the AI-Ready SG initiative and newly announced Union Training Assistance Programme funding to offset subscription fees for selected AI tools.
But even with the best efforts, the impact of AI will still lead to some job displacement, particularly among PMEs, he said.
"Especially for larger-scale retrenchments, earlier notice allows our unions, allows e2i, through its network of 27 national career centres, to come in early to support affected workers," he said.
Mr Ng said raising the Jobseeker Support Scheme coverage closer to the median income of PMEs would also "better reflect the realities of the AI-driven disruption".
The support scheme, which provides up to S$6,000 for the involuntarily unemployed, presently has a salary cap of S$5,000. The Manpower Ministry previously said that this threshold slightly exceeds the median income of full-time employed residents in 2024.
In 2025, the median income of professionals, managers, executives and technicians was S$7,605, according to Manpower Ministry data.
Mr Ng also said he was glad that NTUC's call for advance mandatory retrenchment notification was being studied in the ongoing review of the Employment Act.
"Together with earlier notification (of retrenchment), quicker and more coordinated mobilisation, we can ensure that displaced workers recover faster and bounce back with confidence," he said.
Echoing his May Day Rally speech, Mr Ng said NTUC will also help businesses and workers use the company training committees (CTCs) to transform themselves to reap the benefits of AI "sector by sector, company by company".
The CTC is a labour movement initiative first launched in 2019, in which employers are encouraged to form training committees with unions to work together on ways to boost worker career prospects and wages through structured training and technology adoption.
It is also supported by grant funding from NTUC of up to 70 per cent of the qualifying cost for each project.
More than 3,800 CTCs have been formed, with more than 300,000 blue- and white-collar workers benefiting from the projects and training, said Mr Ng.
While the labour movement has spearheaded the CTC initiative in the past, it will now do so with the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) as part of the new tripartite council in order to expand the CTCs nationwide, he said.
"NTUC will work through the details with SNEF, and put up our requests for funding when ready, and we hope the government will provide its full support," he said.
But Mr Ng said a challenge that both business and workers face is "a fragmented, sometimes even conflicting, view of the AI landscape".
He said Singapore needs its own trusted system of market intelligence and foresight that will give practical answers to questions about skills and job roles.
Such a system would bring together insights from trade associations on how industries are adopting AI, enterprise data on job redesign and productivity shifts, and union sensing on workers' concerns and what kind of skills training works.
Youths can then get clearer signals on which skills will open doors, making their transition from school to work less anxious even as entry-level roles change.
PMEs and blue-collar workers can also get early guidance on how to improve their skills and use AI to augment their work, said Mr Ng.
Wrapping up his speech, he repeated his call for Singapore to act early to understand the changing job landscape, help enterprises and workers in seizing opportunities, and support those affected by the AI disruption.
Mr Ng said these moves are "a call for collective action in this AI transition".
"This renewed compact must be the foundation of our unique tripartism in the AI era, keeping enterprises competitive, and workers firmly at the heart of our progress," said the labour chief.
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"Enterprises must be empowered to adopt AI, with workers actively involved so that transformation delivers stronger business performance and better workforce outcomes," Mr Ng told parliament.
As AI's impact on jobs evolves, having clearer signals, better pathways and practical support will also help youths and workers move into new opportunities, said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general.
He highlighted the need to build market intelligence that anticipates how jobs will evolve in the new economy, and to support displaced workers to recover with dignity and confidence.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
Mr Ng (PAP-Jalan Kayu) was delivering a private member's motion on "an AI transition with no jobless growth" that he moved with Mr Saktiandi Supaat (PAP-Bishan-Toa Payoh), Ms Yeo Wan Ling (PAP-Punggol) and Nominated Member of Parliament Mark Lee.
The motion called on parliament to:
- Recognise the transformative power of new technologies, especially AI, to drive Singapore's next phase of economic development
- Emphasise that Singapore's approach to AI-enabled growth must be anchored in fairness, resilience, and opportunity for all
- Resolve to equip and support workers and enterprises to seize new opportunities and advance together
- Affirm that economic progress must remain inclusive, and that Singapore must not have jobless growth, because every worker matters
In his speech, Mr Ng gave the reason behind the motion, which was to set out a clear agenda for AI adoption so that Singapore can avoid the "extreme" outcomes seen elsewhere.
"At one extreme, some societies allow technology to race ahead. Displaced workers are left to fend for themselves. Economists warn of scars when job disruption is unmanaged.
"At the other extreme, fear takes hold. Workers push back defensively. In Hollywood, writers and actors have taken to picket lines and public demonstrations over the use of AI.
"These are not paths that we want for Singapore," said Mr Ng, who has led the labour movement since 2018.
In his 33-minute speech, the labour chief called for more funding to scale up NTUC's company training committees, in which unionists work with company management to transform their businesses while uplifting workers.
He said NTUC intends to scale up its AI-Ready SG initiative to provide more than 1 million places for workers to train in AI skills over the next few years.
He also repeated a call for the government to raise the income ceiling of the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme to cover involuntarily unemployed professionals, managers and executives (PMEs).
This is the first motion NTUC has tabled in more than a decade. Its last motion, on inclusive economic growth and support for low-skilled and low-wage workers, was tabled in 2011.
A total of 19 MPs are scheduled to debate the motion on Wednesday. MPs will vote on the motion after the debate.
Related:
WORKERS MUST BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE THEY FIT IN AI ECONOMY
Mr Ng said this phase of economic growth differs from the past because of the speed at which AI is advancing.
One in five respondents in an NTUC survey cited job security as their top concern, owing to anxieties around AI and automation, among other things.
Businesses also want to transform but have to consider their workforce readiness and implementation costs, Mr Ng added.
For this reason, he said Singapore must "act early" and strengthen its response to AI-enabled growth before disruption takes hold.
He listed three desired outcomes of this push: "To grow our economic pie as large as possible, while ensuring that this growth translates into good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans.
"To enable enterprises to use AI technologies to transform, and train workers to do higher-value work, take on broader roles, and create more value.
"To invest in our workers and empower them, preparing them early to move into AI-augmented roles."
When used well, AI can raise productivity, unlock new possibilities and strengthen competitiveness, said Mr Ng.
"But every worker who puts in their fair share of effort must be able to see where they can fit into this new economy – and be supported to get there.
"This is how we anchor AI-enabled growth in fairness, resilience and opportunity for all."
Mr Ng then noted that tripartite partners have stepped up together in the past when technology reshaped work, such as in the national computerisation drive of the 1980s.
In the AI era, the government, unions and employers must do likewise, he said.
To that end, the government has set up a National AI Council chaired by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, while NTUC has launched AI-Ready SG to empower more workers to train and use AI skills.
The recently launched Tripartite Jobs Council will also support enterprise transformation, job redesign and worker transitions, he said.
Related:
SUPPORTING YOUTHS, PROFESSIONALS AND DISPLACED WORKERS
The labour chief then gave further details on what the new tripartite council will focus on.
For fresh graduates with anxieties about entering the workforce, Mr Ng outlined how youths can be better supported to seize new opportunities.
He said the Tripartite Jobs Council will strengthen its outreach to institutes of higher learning so that students can gain labour market insights and plan their career moves during their studies.
There could be room for earlier career guidance, better insight into employer needs and stronger matching for internships and entry-level roles, he said.
As for PMEs and mid-career workers, he said many have expressed a need to improve their skills to keep pace with AI.
To this, Mr Ng pointed to the planned expansion of the AI-Ready SG initiative and newly announced Union Training Assistance Programme funding to offset subscription fees for selected AI tools.
But even with the best efforts, the impact of AI will still lead to some job displacement, particularly among PMEs, he said.
"Especially for larger-scale retrenchments, earlier notice allows our unions, allows e2i, through its network of 27 national career centres, to come in early to support affected workers," he said.
Mr Ng said raising the Jobseeker Support Scheme coverage closer to the median income of PMEs would also "better reflect the realities of the AI-driven disruption".
The support scheme, which provides up to S$6,000 for the involuntarily unemployed, presently has a salary cap of S$5,000. The Manpower Ministry previously said that this threshold slightly exceeds the median income of full-time employed residents in 2024.
In 2025, the median income of professionals, managers, executives and technicians was S$7,605, according to Manpower Ministry data.
Mr Ng also said he was glad that NTUC's call for advance mandatory retrenchment notification was being studied in the ongoing review of the Employment Act.
"Together with earlier notification (of retrenchment), quicker and more coordinated mobilisation, we can ensure that displaced workers recover faster and bounce back with confidence," he said.
Related:
WHAT ENTERPRISES CAN DO
Echoing his May Day Rally speech, Mr Ng said NTUC will also help businesses and workers use the company training committees (CTCs) to transform themselves to reap the benefits of AI "sector by sector, company by company".
The CTC is a labour movement initiative first launched in 2019, in which employers are encouraged to form training committees with unions to work together on ways to boost worker career prospects and wages through structured training and technology adoption.
It is also supported by grant funding from NTUC of up to 70 per cent of the qualifying cost for each project.
More than 3,800 CTCs have been formed, with more than 300,000 blue- and white-collar workers benefiting from the projects and training, said Mr Ng.
While the labour movement has spearheaded the CTC initiative in the past, it will now do so with the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) as part of the new tripartite council in order to expand the CTCs nationwide, he said.
"NTUC will work through the details with SNEF, and put up our requests for funding when ready, and we hope the government will provide its full support," he said.
But Mr Ng said a challenge that both business and workers face is "a fragmented, sometimes even conflicting, view of the AI landscape".
He said Singapore needs its own trusted system of market intelligence and foresight that will give practical answers to questions about skills and job roles.
Such a system would bring together insights from trade associations on how industries are adopting AI, enterprise data on job redesign and productivity shifts, and union sensing on workers' concerns and what kind of skills training works.
Youths can then get clearer signals on which skills will open doors, making their transition from school to work less anxious even as entry-level roles change.
PMEs and blue-collar workers can also get early guidance on how to improve their skills and use AI to augment their work, said Mr Ng.
Wrapping up his speech, he repeated his call for Singapore to act early to understand the changing job landscape, help enterprises and workers in seizing opportunities, and support those affected by the AI disruption.
Mr Ng said these moves are "a call for collective action in this AI transition".
"This renewed compact must be the foundation of our unique tripartism in the AI era, keeping enterprises competitive, and workers firmly at the heart of our progress," said the labour chief.
Continue reading...