SINGAPORE - Labour-intensive sectors which have not upped their game is one reason for Singapore's overall lack of progress in productivity, labour chief Lim Swee Say said on Thursday.

Speaking to unionists at the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) final National Day Observance Ceremony, Mr Lim said sectors with below-average productivity such as accommodation, food services and construction took up a larger portion of the total workforce last year compared with 2010. This lowers the national average.

Tackling the problem requires a three-pronged approach: making every sector more productive, helping less productive ones lower their requirement for workers, and transforming the manufacturing and services sectors with technology such as robotics, said Mr Lim, secretary-general of the NTUC.

At the event, Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, paid tribute to 36 pioneer unionists. "As we strive to create a better future, we must never forget the past, especially the people who had worked hard and worked smart for many years to create the Singapore of today," he said at the NTUC Centre.

"To our pioneer unionists and flow-on union leaders who have served and led the unions and championed the true spirit of triparitism, we owe you a special thank you."