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Introduction
Mr Speaker, this Budget debate carries special significance for me. It is my first Budget debate in this new term of Government, and my first Budget debate in my second term in Parliament. In writing this speech, I spent time reflecting on the work we have done in our previous term, and the legislative moves we had made which will have long term impact to our Singaporean workforce.
In the last term, we strengthened protections for platform workers, advanced progressive wages, and made Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) a legitimate workplace conversation. These were not abstract policies. They changed daily lives — both at work and at home. With a healthy fiscal position, we now have the opportunity not only to cushion immediate pressures, but to build thoughtfully and boldly for the decade ahead.
Today, I will speak on three areas:
a. Inclusive workplaces for women in every season of their lives;
b. A kinder workplace for Persons with Disabilities;
c. Responsible preparation for AI transformation.
Inclusive Workspaces for Women in Every Season
Mr Speaker, if we want to talk about inclusive workplaces, we must talk honestly about women. Because women do not experience work in a linear fashion. We experience work in seasons.
a. The season of early ambition;
b. The season of caregiving;
c. The season of returning;
d. The season of mid-life change.
And sometimes, these seasons overlap.
When we speak of inclusive workplaces for women, it cannot mean just guidelines. It cannot mean just legislation. It must mean cultural adjustments. Policies create permission. Culture creates safety, and policies must move so that safe, progressive cultures can take root. And we see this clearly in Flexible Work Arrangements. The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR) have been in place for more than a year. Awareness is high. Yet in our NTUC Women and Family surveys, more than half of workers have never made a request. Not because they do not need flexibility, but because they fear being seen as less committed. They fear slower progression. They fear subtle discrimination. Indeed, we have created permission. But we have not fully created safety. And this gap is especially felt in the season of caregiving.
Women returning to work tell us that flexibility is top-most in their consideration to stay in or return to the workplace. But what worries them more is whether in asking for FWAs, they would be “marked” by their organisations, and even if they managed to get their FWA approved, whether their bosses and teammates will genuinely support them. Because the lived reality is that even with FWAs, caregiving does not go away. Children fall sick. Parents require ongoing care. Caregiving is not a short interruption. It is part of life.
Ms. N, a resident I met, knew about the Guidelines. She wanted to ask for flexibility because her childcare does not operate on weekends and closes at 7pm sharp daily. But she did not dare to ask. In her small company, she feared being labelled as the one who inconvenienced everyone, and she feared being replaced in her job, by a boss who does not understand her needs. This is not a policy gap. It is a workplace culture gap. And we must recognise that workplace flexibility alone cannot solve caregiving strain. Childcare operating hours, especially in estates with shift workers must better reflect workforce realities. I therefore call for support to expand flexible and extended childcare options, including weekend and after-hours pilots in selected communities.
We must also speak about women in mid-life. As Singapore ages, women experience aging differently. Perimenopause brings fatigue and physical changes that are rarely discussed at work. Some might even consider these topics taboo. Yet progressive employers are showing that this conversation can be normalised. I was encouraged to learn from our Educational Services Union Leader, Sister Brenda, that her organisation openly engages employees on how to better support women through menopause. Managers have respectful conversations. Adjustments are made without embarrassment. These may seem like small changes, but they signal respect. Indeed, small tweaks like more comfortable uniforms can make all the difference as women go through different seasons in their lives. That is what cultural maturity looks like in the workplace.
Similarly, breastfeeding mothers tell us that workplace lactation rooms may exist, but culture matters more. If lactation rooms become storerooms, or mothers feel rushed, the message is clear: support is conditional. The NTUC Women and Family unit will continue to promote lactational spaces in workplaces, and we will continue to expand our NTUC Better Workplaces programme this year to support more companies with their lactation room set-ups.
Mr Speaker, if inclusion is to be real for women in every season, policy must be matched with practical action. I call on the Government to:
a. Scale job redesign funding and build expertise, especially in non-office-based, frontline, and shift-based sectors;
b. Recognise and benchmark progressive workplaces so inclusivity becomes part of Singapore’s competitive edge;
c. Publish sectoral benchmarks on FWA utilisation and career progression outcomes;
d. Expand flexible and extended childcare options;
e. Provide clearer tripartite guidance on supporting women through perimenopause and menopause as legitimate workplace health matters.
Mr Speaker, we must continue to move policy intentionally to shape culture, so that inclusive workplaces and norms do not remain aspirational, but become standard practice.
A Kinder Workplace for Persons with Disabilities
Inclusion must also extend beyond gender. A kinder workplace for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and their caregivers means removing barriers, not lowering standards. Like all Singaporeans, our PwDs and their caregivers have career aspirations and dreams. But limited caregiving resources and rigid employment structures — fixed hours, inflexible expectations, lack of assistive tools — unintentionally exclude them.
My Punggol resident, B, who has hearing impairment, struggled to secure a host company for his ITE Work-Study Diploma, and he and his family suspect that it was due to his impairment. As with many of our youths, B is a bright-eyed, curious and hardworking young man. His family is supportive, and understandably worried about his future. With a secured place in the ITE Work-Study Diploma, they will be more assured of his future independence. I have since reached out to several employer contacts as well as SG Enable for assistance, but stories like this remind us that talent exists — but access is uneven. We must strengthen upstream support in placement and upskilling even in our schools.
I support initiatives such as the SG Enable Enabling Mark, which recognises disability-inclusive employers. But the Enabling Mark must go beyond just being an award. It must not remain something companies aspire to do just once a year. It must be normalised as a workplace standard with adequate funding and resourcing — embedded into hiring practices, job redesign, leadership KPIs, and organisational culture. Inclusion cannot be ceremonial. It must be operational.
We must also strengthen the Singapore Opportunity Index as a national signal that inclusive hiring is part of business growth strategy, and not charity. Employers who invest in inclusive employment should see it reflected in how we assess opportunities and competitiveness. And importantly, we should build a national database of inclusive employers — a live resource base for job seekers with disabilities and their families. This will not only improve job matching but also make inclusion visible and importantly, measurable.
NTUC will continue to do our part – apart from FWAs, NTUC has secured stronger protections against workplace discrimination, and I am glad that this helps to level the playing field for our working PwDs. We are also working with tripartite partners on a Tripartite Advisory on Reasonable Accommodations to provide guidance on good practices that employers can adopt to make their workplaces more inclusive for PWDs. I call for clear guidance and appropriate funding for the upcoming Tripartite Advisory so that our employers can implement inclusive practices confidently.
Responsible Preparation for AI Transformation
Mr Speaker, in Mandarin please.
人工智能将影响我国未来的发展。但这场转型必须是负责任的。新科技应该让人民的生活和生计更好，更灿烂而不是带来不安。
自动驾驶技术对巴士行业的影响，是一个非常现实例子。
为此，全国交通工友联合会已经和公共巴士营运商展开电动巴士和自动驾驶的培训。劳资政三方也开始讨论，了解自动驾驶对巴士车长和维修人员岗位的影响，以及未来的职业发展和薪酬安排。
但在和巴士车长交流时，我更清楚地看到一件事。
一位车长告诉我，驾驶只占她工作的20%。其余80%，是服务乘客、协助年老者和行动不便者、处理突发情况。这提醒我们，在谈转型时，不能只看“驾驶”这个表面。我们要真正了解岗位在现实中的内容。
现在也有人提出“远程司机” (remote drivers) 等新岗位。但进一步了解后发现，这些岗位需要数据分析等技能，未必是现有车长马上就能胜任的。
如果我们不了解真实的岗位内容，就可能做出错误的判断。
因此，我呼吁政府投入更多资源，系统性分析各行业岗位结构，明确哪些职能可以由人工智能辅助，哪些仍然需要人完成。再根据这些实际情况设计培训和转型路径。
科技可以进步，但转型必须有规划、有保障。
Conclusion
Mr Speaker, today I have spoken about three priorities:
a. Inclusive workplaces for women in every season;
b. A kinder workplace; and
c. Responsible transformation.
Inclusive workplaces for women means moving policy for workplace culture shifts to take root. A kinder workplace means barriers must be redesigned away. Responsible transformation means understanding before replacing. These are not incremental tweaks. These are Big Hairy Audacious Goals. They require courage to change policies, faith to shift cultures, commitment to redesign systems, and discipline to transform responsibly.
If we are serious about building a Singapore that is not only competitive, but fair, kind, and humane, then these must be the collective Singaporean ambitions that we have.
Sir, I support the Budget.
