Introduction
Mr Speaker Sir, I rise in support of the Motion of Thanks to the President for his address at the opening of the Fifteenth Parliament.
This is a year of uncertainty for workers. Over the past few days, my Labour Movement parliamentary colleagues have shared how global trade tensions and disruptive technologies are transforming the workforce, workplaces, and the future of work.
At NTUC, we have heard the anxieties of the young graduate as artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates the shrinking of entry-level jobs. We have supported the upskilling and career transition aspirations of the mid-career worker in a sunset industry. And we have championed the platform worker’s rights to work injury compensation and even CPF contributions.
As the economy evolves, we must continue to stand in solidarity with our workers and equip them with the skills and protections they need to succeed. Because when workers succeed, Singapore succeeds.
To this end, I will focus my speech on three priorities for the next bound of workforce development, or what I call the 3 ‘S’—a (i) Supporting Singaporeans, (ii) Strengthening Singaporean Core, and (iii) a Skills-First Singapore.
Supporting Singaporeans
The First ‘S’ of my speech is Supporting Singaporeans. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report, globally 92 million of all current jobs will be displaced in the next five years. At the same time, 170 million new jobs will be created, resulting in a net growth of 78 million jobs. This is attributed to drivers such as the race towards renewable energy and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which have already been cited by major companies for mass retrenchment exercises both globally and in Singapore. Gen AI (Generative AI) especially has the potential to displace entry-level knowledge work by automating mundane or repetitive tasks, which will significantly impact Singapore’s knowledge-based workforce, unlike earlier waves of automation that primarily displaced manual work.
The same Report found that on average, workers can expect that two-fifths of their existing skill sets be transformed or become outdated by 2030. The hard truth is that previously secure jobs and valued skills will become obsolete. Workers cannot remain stagnant and expect to still compete. AI should break and not build barriers.
But in every challenge lies opportunity for those who choose to meet it. Renewable energy and Gen, Agentic, and Cognitive AI are generation-defining technologies that can not only create new jobs but make them better and better paying. By supporting workers’ learning and upskilling ambitions, businesses and the economy also benefit from more growth and more skilled workforce.
To ensure no worker is left behind in the adoption of new technologies, we must commit to a Just Transition that prioritises the re-skilling and re-deployment of workers. If you recall the old adage, it’s learn, work and retire. Today it’s no longer that. It’s learn, work, learn, work, learn, work, and maybe retire. The Labour Movement has persistently advocated for training allowance and subsidies for a second degree or diploma for mid-career and older workers who may be more vulnerable to skills obsolescence, financial support for the involuntarily unemployed to help them bounce back from employment setbacks, and most recently Government-funded traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities for young graduates to strengthen their employability. I am heartened that the Government has answered our calls with the launch of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, Jobseeker Support Scheme, and the Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme.
In NTUC’s 2025 Survey on Economic Sentiments, one-third of over 2000 workers expressed concerns about losing their jobs or not having their contracts renewed in the next 3 months. On the ground, I have also heard the anxieties and frustrations of young graduates and involuntarily unemployed jobseekers who have not been able to find jobs after sending out hundreds of applications despite having good diplomas and degrees. I therefore continue to call on the Government to consider three policy moves. First, extending the Jobseeker Support Scheme eligibility to involuntarily unemployed PMEs, especially those earning above the current $5000 salary threshold imposed by the Scheme. So that the majority of the more than 43% of resident PMEs can benefit. Two, taking stronger action alongside unions against errant employers who do not practice fair and responsible retrenchment practices, as you have seen in the recent spates of retrenchments Third, incentivising companies that hire first-time workers for full-time positions, similar to the Jobs Growth Incentive launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Considering the scale and speed of AI’s impact on the workforce, I also ask that the Government consider forming a Tripartite Workgroup on Safeguarding Workers in the Age of AI to encourage companies to adopt Just Transition practices, prevent algorithmic discrimination, and ensure responsible use of AI-powered human resource (HR) tools.
I thank the Government for hearing my call for a Review of the Employment Act through a new Tripartite Workgroup recently formed. To keep pace with rising median wages and evolving nature of work, I opine that the Employment Act should cover more PMEs by raising both the salary caps of workmen and non-workmen .As well as providing more clarity on transfers that impact workers affected by ongoing company restructuring, mergers, and acquisitions, and requiring employers to give explicit reasons for termination or discontinuation of employment initiated by the employer, upon the request of the employee.
During this time of uncertainty, I encourage our workers to adopt a mindset of resilience and adaptability, to find strength in numbers and collective action. This is not the first time new technologies have disrupted the workforce, nor will it be the last. As with each economic wave and transition, NTUC and our unions stand ready to support our workers.
Singaporean Core
The second ‘S’, a Singaporean Core. Since my maiden speech in this House in 2011, I have persistently advocated for Strengthening the Singaporean Core, especially for our local Professionals, Manages, and Executives (PMEs), who face increasing competition with foreign PMEs. Over the past decade, I have advocated for a compendium of measures to level the playing field for our local PMEs, including the Workplace Fairness Act, which protects workers against the most common types of workplace discrimination including age and nationality, a foreign PME dependency ratio, stricter Employment Pass (EP) application conditions, continuous enhancements to the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), and many others.
These protections are important, and we should regularly review it.
A strong Singaporean Core must therefore be a Singaporean-led Core. This means building up our local bench strength through investments in local talent pipelines to set Singaporeans up for senior and leadership positions before turning abroad and facilitating knowledge and skills transfer. We cannot assume that if we grow the pie, Singaporeans will naturally get their share. There must be a concerted effort to encourage companies, especially Multi-National Corporations (MNCs), to groom our local PMEs as part of their leadership identification and developmental process, improve HR standards and practices to ensure compliance with fair employment practices and Tripartite Guidelines, and encourage workers to step up and step forward for opportunities to relocate for greater international exposure and cultural and language competency training.
After years of lobbying, I am glad that more resources will be set aside for schemes that groom Singaporean workers by sending them for overseas work postings such as the Overseas Market Immersion Programme. I hope the Government will consider extending these opportunities to more Singaporean workers and adopting new levers to improve reciprocity between MNCs and our local PMEs. For example, the proportion of Singaporeans in management positions could be a bonus criterion incorporated into the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) for EP applications, COMPASS for short. Companies that have a highly disproportionate number of foreign PMEs and weak commitment to nurturing local talent pipelines can also be closely monitored. If no improvement is made within a certain time period, the Government can consider removing preferential tax and other benefits, such as the award of public sector contracts. Even the US is also mulling on imposing a hundred thousand dollars fee on the H1-B visa applications.
HR professionals play a key role in fostering fair and progressive workplaces that attract, develop, and retain top local talent. I therefore submit that Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) certification, which equips HR practitioners with essential competencies in workforce planning and regulatory compliance, be made mandatory for all companies. This is especially critical for MNCs employing foreign HR practitioners who operate within the Singapore context and help them better understand our tripartite industrial relations framework. To date, over 9,000 HR practitioners have attained IHRP certification. More widespread certification adoption will better position HR practitioners to deepen their capabilities and signal a commitment to professional excellence.
To be clear, a Singaporean Core does not mean closing doors to foreign PMEs who can help fill critical skill gaps and support sectors facing labour shortage. It is about building a more competitive economy that is less reliant on external labour and nurturing the next generation of Singaporean leaders. It is about ensuring that Singaporean workers who work hard and can contribute can afford a good life in Singapore, for themselves and their families, in the only home they have.
Skills-First Singapore
The third and final ‘S’ is a Skills-First Singapore. Today, disruptive technologies like Gen AI and new work trends including the rise of gig work, freelancing, remote work, and side ‘hustles’ have transformed how we traditionally define and plan a career. Instead of a linear progression within a single organisation, more are embracing flexible journeys defined by adaptability, continuous learning, and the ability to move across job functions and industries. Job instability and career transitions are increasingly commonplace, but so are building portfolio careers, pursuing passion-driven pathways, and going back to school for re-skilling. This means more voluntary underemployment, but also more involuntary underemployment, an issue which NTUC has been studying very closely and examining in the past decade. A two-year research study in collaboration with the Singapore University of Technology and Design on underemployment, especially involuntary skills-jobs mismatch, where workers are unhappily over-skilled for their current jobs, will be completing soon and will share more in due course.
Against this evolving landscape, diplomas and degrees can no longer act as a proxy for competency. According to a Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) study released in 2024, higher levels of education do not always equate to better skills and knowledge. Earlier data from LinkedIn in 2021 also revealed that employers in Singapore preferred to hire candidates with technical skills and transferable skills over traditional qualifications such as education and minimum years of experience.
At this ten-year mark since the launch of SkillsFuture, I therefore submit that it is timely to review Singapore’s Continuing Education and Training (CET) framework and system for the next bound of workforce development using a Skills-First approach.
Skills-First refers to a paradigm shift that prioritises skills and competencies over degrees and diplomas. In real-world terms, this means that a student majoring in History but who has demonstrated coding skills through relevant work experience or winning hackathons should feel confident in applying for an entry-level Programmer position. It also means that two workers who are equally skilled, equally knowledgeable, and demonstrate good work performance should receive equal opportunities to advance in their career, regardless if one worker holds a diploma and the other has a degree.
A Skills-First Economy therefore holds powerful potential for the inclusion of non-traditional learners who acquired skills through experience and expanding individuals’ career pathways beyond the scope of their formal qualifications. It supports caregivers, older workers, persons with disabilities, young graduates, and freelancers or self-employed persons in asserting the value of their labour, thereby also allowing employers to tap on a wider talent pool.
For this idea to take flight, however, requires the buy-in of all stakeholders across the workforce development ecosystem. The Government will need to create robust and integrated frameworks for credible skills accreditation and transferability across institutions and industries. Career Conversion Programmes should be expanded to cover more sectors and industries to become more relevant to PMEs. The Public Service will also need to lead by example in implementing skills-based hiring and progression. Employers will need to adopt progressive practices such as listing the necessary skills required in job descriptions on top of formal qualifications and taking skill certifications, testimonials, performance appraisals, awards, and leadership experiences outside of work into consideration for progression. Where relevant and when it does not affect employers’ economic interests, employers should not punish the industrious and passionate pursuit of ‘hobby jobs’ and ‘side hustles’ as ‘moonlighting’. Schools and Institutes of Higher Learning will need to adapt their curricula to raise students’ curiosity, confidence, and creativity in exploring diverse ways of learning and working. The arts must be as well-funded as the sciences. We need to go beyond STEM to STEAM. Students must spend as much time in industry and community as they do in classrooms and lecture halls. And most importantly, workers will need to be open to trying new skills and exploring new interests, fail, and try again.
In 2024, over 60% of Singaporean resident workers had tertiary qualifications, and over 40% had degrees. Yet in the same year Singapore’s training participation rate fell to a nine-year low of about 40%. Unlike other countries, where unions often must lobby for uneven training and upskilling opportunities, Singapore continuously doles out funding. We undoubtedly have a highly educated workforce—but does that education end when we leave school? Does a highly educated workforce equate to a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce?
The shift towards a Skills-Led Economy therefore surfaces starting points for us to boldly reimagine how we learn and work, but also why we learn and work, which lays the groundwork for more flexible and fulfilling careers.
Conclusion
To conclude, Work is a source of and the pursuit of hope, purpose, and dignity. It is what built this nation, it is the measure of our days, our connections to community. By prioritising the 3 ‘S’—Supporting Singaporeans, strengthening a Singaporean Core, and a Skills-First Singapore, we honour workers and commit to helping them earn a better living and live a better life. For all to train up to keep up and skill up and move up.
Mr Speaker Sir, I support the Motion. Thank you.
