AI disruption drives push for lifelong learning among Singapore workers

Muhammad Farouq Osman, MPP (Cambridge), works on industry and economic transformation at NTUC and serves on its Economic Policy Taskforce.

Lifelong learning has long been a buzzword in Singapore’s employment landscape. In today’s world of globalisation and rapid technological change, workers can no longer rely solely on the education and skills they acquired before entering the workforce to stay relevant.

Instead, shorter, more iterative upskilling cycles have become essential for workers to maintain competitive advantage, with companies shifting towards rapid ‘just-in-time’ learning, often using bootcamps and micro-credentials to fill skills gaps in just three to six months.

Today, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has made the skills agenda even more urgent. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2023 estimated that about 27 per cent of jobs across developed countries were at high risk of automation by AI, defined as roles where a large share of required skills is easily automatable.

Workers are anxious, but AI brings opportunities

Here in Singapore, the anxiety is palpable among our workers: Almost 30 per cent of respondents polled in the 2026 NTUC Survey on Economic Sentiments in Singapore (SES) felt anxious that AI would replace their job or current role.

However, it is not all doom and gloom.

If harnessed properly, AI can be a tool for a more prosperous and inclusive future for all. McKinsey’s 2024 analysis of the European and US labour markets suggested that, even with significant task automation and AI augmentation, demand for workers in STEM-related, healthcare and other white-collar professions would rise, while demand for occupations such as production workers and customer service representatives would decline. This is because instead of just replacing people, AI often works like a power tool that helps workers do more, leading to demand and employment growth.

Are workers ready?

The question then is, do our workers have the psychological readiness – the growth mindset – to embrace continuous upskilling and reinvention for value-added roles?

If anything, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.

The same NTUC survey shows 47 per cent of Singapore workers recognised the need to upskill in the face of AI disruption. The latest 2026 SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) data further supports this observation, revealing that more than one in two eligible Singaporeans used their SkillsFuture credit to attend courses since 2015. Nevertheless, there is a difference between PMET and non-PMET training take-up.

A growing skills divide

Non-PMETs were hit harder during COVID-19, with unemployment rising more sharply than for PMETs.

Yet, despite being more vulnerable, they were less likely to receive structured training from employers or take up reskilling opportunities, according to 2022 Ministry of Manpower (MOM) data.

Many were also older or had lower educational qualifications, which made returning to training feel daunting. In contrast, PMETs often had clearer career pathways and stronger workplace support, making skills upgrading feel necessary and worthwhile.

Over time, this created a mindset gap: PMETs tend to see training as an investment, while non-PMETs may view it as costly, uncertain or out of reach.

Culture shapes mindset

A growth mindset does not develop in a vacuum. The observations above were shaped by workplace culture and wider structures. If companies train only ‘high potential’ staff or focus narrowly on costs, workers may internalise the idea that minimum training is enough. That mindset will not sustain AI-driven transformation.

Many workers also struggle to identify relevant courses or understand future skills demand. Indeed, this was the point made by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng in his 2026 Budget speech, on the difficulties workers faced to navigate the more than 1,600 AI courses in SSG’s course catalogue.

Without clear guidance, visible pathways and the assurance that training would have immediate, practical applications to their current job, workers may not feel motivated to chart their training.

All these are reasons why the latest Budget 2026 announcements and NTUC initiatives are steps in the right direction.

In his Budget speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the National AI Council would be established to drive national AI efforts in advanced manufacturing, transport connectivity, finance and healthcare.

NTUC’s AI push

A day after the Budget, on 13 February 2026, NTUC launched its AI-Ready SG initiative, a one-stop platform to strengthen job security amid AI-driven change. NTUC members stand to benefit from 50 per cent subsidies for AI tools and training, structured AI learning pathways, and AI-matched career mentorship to help them upskill, stay adaptable and navigate career transitions confidently.

At the company level, NTUC’s Company Training Committee (CTC) initiative is also accelerating transformation. By bringing workers, unions and management together, CTCs co-develop company transformation roadmaps, training plans, job redesign and the responsible adoption of new technologies, with advice and support from NTUC’s Industry Training Officers (ITOs).

As firms integrate AI into operations, workers are reskilled in tandem, ensuring productivity gains translate into better jobs, not displacement.

As of December 2025, around $13.6 million in CTC Grant funding has been committed to more than 100 AI-related projects, with accompanying wage, career development and/or skills allowance benefits for workers.

Normalise career shifts and guidance

As a society, we need to make reinvention normal, not exceptional. Mid-career switches, new qualifications and skill pivots should be seen as signs of courage and adaptability, not instability.

Indeed, careers today are rarely linear, and our public messaging must reflect that reality. When people see others successfully changing paths, the fear of starting over begins to fade.

Just as importantly, workers need real support to take action: Personalised career guidance, mentors who can advise them, and clear explanations of which AI-related skills matter.

These are what NTUC’s AI-Ready SG initiative seeks to support workers with. When choices are visible, and the rewards of effort feel real and attainable, a growth mindset will likely follow.

At the same time, AI exposure cannot be reserved for professionals alone. Rank-and-file workers also need basic AI literacy and hands-on examples of how tools can improve their daily workflows. If access to AI skills is unequal, we risk deepening divides within the workforce.

Finally, a growth mindset requires psychological safety. Workers must have space to experiment, make mistakes and learn without fear of penalty. If learning is tempered by production targets or performance pressure, calls for lifelong learning will ring hollow, and transformation will stall before it truly begins.

NTUC leaves no worker behind

Singapore has built the hardware for lifelong learning. In the age of AI, we must now build the software: A growth mindset from rank-and-file to management.

In our work at NTUC, anxieties about cost of living, job security and retirement adequacy surface constantly, alongside new fears about AI and automation.

As Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam recently observed at Davos, people want good jobs, security and dignity.

Training and transformation must therefore pair business redesign with worker assurance – so no one is left to navigate change alone.