Labour chief outlines proposals to help workers navigate AI shift

SINGAPORE - Singapore must build its own localised market intelligence that better reflects workforce realities to help workers seize opportunities in an artificial intelligence-driven economy, labour chief Ng Chee Meng said as he filed a parliamentary motion calling for no “jobless growth” amid AI disruption on May 5.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general noted that in this period of rapid change, workers and enterprises are grappling with fragmented – at times conflicting – views of the AI landscape. While some global reports warn of large-scale job displacement, others say AI is the future of white-collar work.

“The landing point is still fuzzy and uncertain. That is why Singapore needs our own trusted system of market intelligence and foresight – one that reflects our sectoral mix, workforce profile and enterprise realities,” Mr Ng said.

Building such localised data would give workers clearer guidance on which roles are likely to evolve or disappear, and what new skills will be needed, he added.

This would help young people and new entrants achieve a “less anxious transition” from school to work, even as entry-level roles change. Meanwhile, professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) and blue-collar workers can benefit from early guidance on using AI to augment their roles, expand their job scope and improve work prospects.

Mr Ng said such intelligence could be developed by combining insights from trade associations on AI adoption, company-level data on job redesign and productivity, and unions’ on-the-ground sensing of worker concerns.

Good research can also help prevent reactive policymaking, he said. “Because intervening only after displacement has occurred is far more costly – financially, economically and socially.”

Mr Ng, who is also MP for Jalan Kayu SMC, stressed that enterprises must transform with AI in a way that benefits workers.

Acknowledging the tighter constraints faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), he said broader support for SMEs would allow more workers to benefit from AI-driven transformation.

He also highlighted the critical role NTUC’s company training committees (CTCs) play in upskilling workers.

“Since the first CTC in 2019, we have formed more than 3,800 CTCs, with projects and training benefiting more than 300,000 blue- and white-collar workers,” he said.

He added that worker outcomes must be part of the business transformation plans and “not left to chance or treated as an afterthought”.

In his speech, he proposed that NTUC work together with the Singapore National Employers Federation as part of the new Tripartite Jobs Council to expand and scale the CTC initiative nationwide.

Mr Ng noted that NTUC will likely need more resources to implement the new approach and hopes for the Government’s full support for its funding requests.

He also called for earlier signals and greater certainty that skills upgrading will lead to job opportunities.

“We can do more as an ecosystem to help our youth make informed choices and shorten the transition from school to work,” he said, highlighting support measures under NTUC’s AI-Ready SG initiative, such as its AI career coach and subsidies for AI tool subscriptions.

Mr Ng also outlined measures to strengthen support for displaced workers, to help them secure new jobs with dignity and confidence.

These include expanding the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme to cover PMEs with higher incomes.

Currently, the scheme provides up to $6,000 over six months to retrenched residents earning $5,000 or less a month.

“But in the AI era, many PMEs earning above this level may face the same displacement risks and the same need for structured transition support. Adjusting coverage closer to the PME median gross income levels would better reflect the realities of the AI-driven disruption,” he said.

Mr Ng reiterated the labour movement’s position in advocating for earlier retrenchment notification, which should be done “before the employee’s last working day”.

“But even with these best efforts, we must be honest that some displacement will still occur, particularly among PMEs. In the age of AI, where displacement may be more pronounced, we must find ways to reach affected workers early and shorten the time between disruption and recovery.”

The Ministry of Manpower had said it would review NTUC’s proposal as part of a broader relook at the Employment Act.

Mr Ng said: “Our aim is not to preserve old jobs. It is to help Singaporeans move, over time, more confidently into the next good job faster.

“Together with earlier notification, quicker and more coordinated mobilisation, we can ensure that displaced workers recover faster and bounce back with confidence.”

Around 20 MPs are slated to debate the motion when Parliament sits again on May 6.