NTUC President, Sister Thana, Minister of State, Brother Dinesh,
Central Committee Members and Past President, Sister Diana Chia, SNEF President, Brother Boon Wee,
SNEF Vice-Presidents,
Academic and Research Partners, Distinguished Guests,
Fellow Sisters and Brothers,
INTRODUCTION – RESEARCH FOR A CHANGING WORLD OF WORK
A very good morning, I am delighted to join you this morning at this very important conference.
Two years ago, I was on this very stage and I spoke about how Artificial Intelligence would impact and reshape work, including white-collar professions like law, medicine and accountancy.
Two years on, unsurprisingly, we still do not have the full clarity on AI’s impact on the world and in the workplace.
With each passing day, AI keeps advancing and with it, long-held assumptions about what makes a good career and what job security means, keep shifting.
In a world of rapid change, NTUC must be able to see and understand developments earlier and importantly, respond better. This is why this morning’s labour research conference matters.
Good research gives us trusted market intelligence and foresight, grounded in Singapore’s economic and workforce realities.
Above all, it keeps NTUC’s work anchored in what matters most: the lives and livelihoods of ordinary workers but in this era, both blue and white collared workers.
This is what today’s theme is about. We want Today's Hopes to become Tomorrow's Possibilities. For that to happen, our policies and actions must be informed by evidence and by workers’ lived experiences.
SEEING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FROM TWO SIDES – CHALLENGES ALONGSIDE OPPORTUNITIES
Let me start with the impact of AI on workers today. I have met many younger workers and PMEs over the last two, three years. They tell me they are anxious, and I can understand why.
They fear AI will take away their jobs, impact their careers and threaten their ability to provide for their families.
Indeed, NTUC’s survey done earlier this year found that employers have cut back on entry-level hiring.
We are also seeing more retrenchments. MOM’s Labour Market Report for the second quarter of 2026 showed the increase was concentrated in sectors we once viewed as growth sectors - which means that even though the sectors are growing, retrenchments are also growing, which is not usually the norm. These sectors used to have strong career prospects – sectors like (i) Manufacturing,
(ii) ICT and (iii) Financial Services. While they are growing, retrenchments are also happening.
Today, these sectors are among those seeing more of the sharpest workforce shifts and reorganisations, and I think this has to do with AI impact and their own business remodelling.
These are also sectors that employ significant number of PMEs, which makes the impact especially concerning.
So, these concerns are not imagined fears. They are the lived experiences of fellow Singaporeans.
I acknowledge and understand their anxieties. And we at NTUC are taking practical actions to support them through this AI disruption.
On the flip side of disruption, AI can be a powerful catalyst for Singapore’s economic growth too.
It provides a significant chance for us to shift our economic paradigm and innovate our way into a new economic trajectory.
Singapore has grown tremendously well over the last 60 years, five, ten per cent economic growth sustained, but we are reaching a certain plateau as a mature economy at one to three per cent. With new possibilities of technology, it will enable new business models, new ways of working and perhaps, inject new sources of dynamism that can drive us forward even higher.
We are already seeing some signs of that. Recent investments by major AI companies are strong votes of confidence in Singapore’s position as a trusted hub for AI innovation.
These investments can present companies with opportunities to adopt new technologies, create good jobs, and propel Singapore’s economy beyond our current trajectory.
So yes, I believe AI can grow the economic pie for all of us, even if we have to look at the challenges in transition.
NTUC'S SUPPORT FOR WORKERS – ADDRESSING CHALLENGES THROUGH AI-READY SG
But that is the macro view, it is fair for workers, both blue and white-collar alike, to ask: what’s in it for me and how do I get my slice of the pie?
And very humbly, at NTUC, we do not have all the answers, but I think there are indeed “no regrets” moves we must work towards.
Through our NTUC AI-Ready SG initiative, NTUC is acting on four fronts.
a) Prepare our workers through training and upskilling that can translate into better wages, welfare and work prospects.
b) Help workers Pivot into new roles and adjacent industries when their current path narrows or closes.
c) Protect the interests of workers disrupted by changes beyond their control.
d) And very importantly, work with companies to raise Productivity because sustainable wage growth and good jobs ultimately depend on companies becoming more productive and competitive.
OTHER PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK – SUPPORTING DIFFERENT WORKER SEGMENTS
AI is a major change confronting workers and a key topic for today’s conference, but it is not the only change that Singapore has to grapple with. We must also address existing challenges facing different segments of our workforce.
First – our platform workers. The gig economy seems to be growing. We have enacted the Platform Workers Act, but is it enough, or can we do more to serve this vulnerable group of workers?
Second – our caregivers and mainly, our sisters who have stepped back from work to look after family. How can we facilitate their return to the workplace if they so choose?
Third – Singapore’s ageing workforce, our senior workers. How can we support those who wish to remain economically active?
These all point to what our workers value very much today: job security, skills relevance and flexible work arrangements.
TRIPARTISM AS THE BEDROCK OF SINGAPORE’S SUCCESS – NAVIGATING THE TRANSITION TOGETHER WITH FINITE RESOURCES
We must address AI disruption and all these challenges to support our workers. And I am glad that today, the Labour Movement does not have to navigate this journey alone.
Tripartism has been the bedrock of Singapore’s economic success. It has supported us through every major disruption and every workforce evolution we have experienced.
And it will remain our foundation as we respond to AI disruption. The Tripartite Jobs Council, formed this April, brings together our collective capabilities and resources to seize opportunities and address challenges in an AI-enabled economy.
In May this year, I moved a Parliamentary Motion on “An AI Transition with No Jobless Growth”. One key component was for Singapore to build trusted market intelligence and foresight of our own, grounded in the realities of our own economic paradigm and the realities of our own workplaces.
This is exactly why this Labour Research Conference is so timely and important. The researchers, practitioners and partners gathered here today play a critical role in contributing towards this effort.
SINGAPORE LABOUR JOURNAL – IMPACT THROUGH RESEARCH
We are all familiar with the saying that a picture paints a thousand words, but I would add one caveat today: the picture is only as good as the evidence behind it.
That is why I treasure our partnership with trusted academics and practitioners like yourselves, the think-tanks and research institutions.
Your research is grounded on years of careful work, trustworthy evidence and rigorous methodologies. It sharpens NTUC’s policy thinking and advocacy that helps us chart the course forward, in conjunction with SNEF and the government.
Indeed, some of your research contributions and recommendations have gone on to influence and impact national labour policies, and I thank you for those good work.
This year marks five years of the Singapore Labour Journal. Across those five years, the Journal has drawn over 30,000 views, attracted media coverage, and seen some articles cited, including in international publications.
Its latest edition focuses on workforce resilience and inclusive labour strategies, a timely discussion given how quickly the global landscape is shifting.
I extend my deepest appreciation to our Advisory and Editorial Board members, and every contributor, for sharing in the work of shaping what the future of work looks like. Thank you very much for that.
LABOUR ALLIANCE CO-LAB (LAB) – GROWING THE ECOSYSTEM OF TRUSTED PARTNERS
In 2024, we launched the Labour Alliance co-laB, or LAB, to work more closely with our academic and research partners, to pool expertise and resources from across the field to effect real change on the ground.
Two years on, LAB has grown from 50 founding experts to more than 60 academics, researchers and practitioners, from Singapore and abroad. Their work has strengthened NTUC’s labour research capabilities and deepened our understanding of issues facing workers.
We have also been building and growing international partnerships with academics from esteemed and established institutions like Cornell University's Worker Institute, Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and Rutgers University.
Whether local or global, these labour experts help us expand and deepen our knowledge base.
Closer to home, LAB has also gone directly to the ground. As of this June, it has engaged more than 5,000 workers of all collars, and 1,000 employers through surveys, dialogues and focus groups.
We owe this progress to our inaugural LAB members, who leaned in and supported this ecosystem from day one.
Through the Labour Journal and LAB, we have built a strong foundation over these five years. Today, we take the next step amidst a rapidly changing workforce.
LAUNCH OF THE ASSOCIATE RESEARCHERS CIRCLE (ARC) – FIRST COHORT; BUILDING A PIPELINE OF EMERGING LABOUR RESEARCHERS
NTUC must keep renewing our capacity to understand how upcoming trends will impact the labour market and our workers.
This is why I am glad to announce, today, the launch of the Associate Researchers Circle, or ARC.
ARC is an investment in the future of our labour research ecosystem. It brings emerging and newer researchers into the Labour Movement’s research community, giving them greater exposure to key labour issues and opportunities to contribute their expertise and fresh perspectives.
Our first cohort of ARC members comprises eight emerging labour researchers with diverse areas of expertise and experience. They come from local institutions like NTU and SUTD, as well as leading international institutions like Carnegie Mellon and Michigan State University.
Importantly, ARC is designed as a pipeline to continue strengthening our overall research capabilities. Building upon the strength of the LAB ecosystem, each ARC member will be mentored by a LAB member. Those who are ready may go on to be appointed to LAB itself.
Our ambition is to grow ARC year on year. We aim to welcome five to ten new members annually, steadily expanding the pool of researchers who understand labour issues, not only in our context but internationally, across demographics, population, demographics issues, vulnerability of workers to impact of AI. All these will contribute significantly to our policy thinking in NTUC.
This renewal is essential. ARC will bring new voices into the conversation about work and workers and deepen NTUC's links with our Institutes of Higher Learning and youth networks.
Over time, we want ARC and LAB to form a strong, growing continuum, with emerging researchers entering the field, experienced researchers mentoring them, and the whole community working together to translate research into practical insights that can move policy to support workers’ interests.
To our inaugural ARC members, thank you for stepping up. I hope this journey will be meaningful and fulfilling for all of you. I look forward to your contributions to the Labour Movement and to welcoming many more researchers into ARC in the years ahead.
CONCLUSION
Research and policy are ultimately not ends in themselves. They matter because they help us anticipate challenges early, understand workers' experiences, and shape NTUC’s long-term advocacy and interventions, including our work through the Tripartite Jobs Council.
I am encouraged that so many of you here today have committed to being part of the workers’ compact that NTUC champions.
Together, we will close the gap between Today’s Hopes and Tomorrow’s Possibilities and contribute to a more inclusive and resilient labour landscape in Singapore.
Thank you in advance for all your contributions. I wish everyone a fruitful conference today.
