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Mr Deputy Speaker, when we speak about reinforcing Singapore’s position as a global transport hub, we often think of Singapore Changi Airport – world class; Singapore Airlines connecting us to the world; we think of PSA with the towering cranes at Pasir Panjang, Jurong and Tuas Port; we think of the many ships in our waters and the seamless movement of cargo through our logistic network, including our land transport network.
These are powerful symbols of success for Singapore.
Mr Deputy Speaker, infrastructure alone and high-tech systems does not make a global hub. A transport hub is only complete because of the people who keep it moving 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
a. From the baggage handler working on the tarmac;
b. The technicians ensuring that every vehicle operates safely;
c. The crane operator managing multiple cranes from a control room;
d. Harbour pilot guiding some of the world’s largest vessels into our ports;
e. Our air traffic controllers and airport crew who ensure the safety of airplanes in and out of Singapore and ensuring people coming through Singapore get the best experience;
f. The seafarer spending months away from home to keep the global trade flowing;
g. The logistics planner ensuring that supply chains continue to function so businesses receive their goods and families receive their parcels.
There are many more examples.
These are the men and women who build Singapore’s transport hub reputation. They kept our transport system moving during Covid-19, they kept global trade flowing through supply chain disruptions, they adapted through manpower shortages and global uncertainties.
Today, as we speak of transforming and strengthening Singapore’s position as a global transport hub, my question is:
how will we bring these people along, and what is the future that they see as part of that strong futuristic hub that we want to be?
Because, Mr Deputy Speaker, the future of transport should not be something workers merely adapt to; it must be a future they can look forward to.
Mr Deputy Speaker, transformations are no longer coming; they are already here. We have many such examples.
Looking at our maritime sector — from the early days of Singapore River to Jurong Port after independence to containisation at Tanjong Pagar, Singapore has never stood still.
Today, our maritime sector is entering another transformation. Singapore now operates an AI-powered maritime digital twin, integrating real time information from vessels, weather systems and sensors to optimise traffic and improve safety.
Our ports are increasingly automated. Yard cranes and automated-guided vehicles are remotely operated. The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is driving innovation in autonomous vehicles and new maritime fuels while strengthening Singapore’s International Maritime Centre.
These are not just investments in technology; they are investments in better jobs. And we already see what it means for our workers.
Take Brother Syed Ali — more than 30 years ago, he began as a yard crane operator at PSA, climbing high into crane cabins every day in a physically demanding work. As technology evolved, so did his career. Today, he is a senior quay crane specialist, supervising automated operations, mentoring younger colleagues and leading adoption of new technologies. His career did not end because technology arrived; technology allowed his career to grow.
Likewise, Mr Tan Sin Poh from Jurong Port has spent over two decades developing engineering expertise. Today, he leads highly complex equipment relocation projects that require precision planning, engineering excellence, and close teamwork. His experience has become even more valuable in a technologically advanced port.
These stories remind us that transformation succeeds when workers succeed.
The same transformation is taking place in aviation. The Civil Aviation Authority has estimated that up to 30% of our 60,000-strong aviation workforce could see their jobs redesigned over the next five years. With Changi Terminal 5 nearly doubling airport capacity, the scale of change will only accelerate.
Nearly 20,000 jobs redesigned is not a small number. Behind every redesigned job is a worker who must learn new skills. Behind every new technology is a worker who must be confident enough to use it. Behind every transformation is a family depending on that worker’s future.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Singapore faces tight manpower. Our workforce is ageing with low birth rates. Every Singaporean worker becomes even more precious.
If we are to remain a leading transport hub, we cannot simply add more workers. We must help every worker become more productive, more skilled, and able to enjoy longer careers.
Automation, robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be critical. They can remove repetitive, physically demanding tasks. They can create safer workplaces. They can allow experienced workers to move into higher-value roles that command better wages and offer greater career progression.
For our senior workers, technology can extend productive careers instead of shortening them because their bodies can no longer cope with physically demanding work.
But, Mr Deputy Speaker, technology alone does not build trust. Workers must know that transformation is happening with them, and not to them. They must know that technology is being deployed to strengthen the Singaporean core, and very importantly, it is to strengthen the Singaporean core. To improve their Wages, to improve their Welfare, to strengthen their Work Prospects, so they can stay ahead of the course curves and provide well for their families.
That is why I have two calls in support of this motion.
Work with Unions to Equip and Train Workers Early
First, we must equip and train workers early, with unions involved from the very beginning. And we already know that this works with many examples.
With aviation, NTUC’s Aerospace and Aviation Cluster, together with unions like SATS Workers' Union, has used the Company Training Committee to redesign jobs while equipping workers with new capabilities.
As we build Terminal 5, the tripartite model should become the norm. CAAS, Changi Airport Group, SATS, employers and unions must work hand-in-hand to ensure that every productive gain is also a gain for workers.
This is also how we attract young Singaporeans into aviation and the industry. Beyond competitive salaries, young people want meaningful careers with opportunities to grow.
At the same time, experienced Singaporean workers must remain at the heart of our success.
Technology may automate many processes, but it cannot automate the warmth, professionalism and service excellence that define Singapore and the Singapore experience.
Our maritime sector offers similar examples. The Singapore Maritime Officers Union (SMOU) and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen (SOS) have worked through Company Training Committees to prepare seafarers for the future through structured training, professional development, and lifelong learning.
Going forward, the Government should continue to work closely with NTUC, unions, e2i and the Tripartite Jobs Council, to support companies, large and small, to redesign jobs well before disruption takes place. All stakeholders should be able to plug into and grow with the vision of a world-class transportation hub.
Transformation should never begin after jobs disappear, it must begin while our workers are still employed.
Ensure Jobs are Inclusive for All
Second, we must ensure the good jobs we create are accessible to every Singaporean.
For
senior workers and
mid-career PMEs, transformation plans must include clear pathways into emerging roles. Where jobs may be affected, companies should work closely with Unions to identify impacted workers early, provide sufficient notice, and ensure adequate training so workers can transition confidently into new opportunities.
For our lower-wage workers, technology must be a ladder for upward mobility. They should see the gains, they should see an upward growth for themselves and their families. New technology-enabled should help workers progress through and beyond the Progressive Wage Model.
Transformation should narrow opportunity gaps and not widen them.
And let us not forget
Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). As more transport jobs become digital, remote-enabled and less physically demanding, new opportunities become possible. I hope MOT can work together with SG Enable, employers and Unions to redesign suitable roles so that more Persons with Disabilities can participate meaningfully in our transport sector.
Conclusion
Mr Deputy Speaker, technology will undoubtedly reshape our transport hubs. The question is not whether transformation will happen; the question is whether every Singaporean worker will benefit from it.
Because Singapore’s greatest competitive advantage as never been our port; it has never been our airport; it has never been our technology. Our greatest competitive advantage has always been our people.
Technology will reshape our hubs – this much is certain. But a highly-skilled, adaptable, trusted and resilient workforce cannot be replicated easily. By investing in workers’ capabilities, career progression, and resilience, Singapore transforms its workforce from a factor of production into a strategic asset.
This not only strengthens productivity and service quality but also reinforces Singapore’s reputation as a reliable and future-ready global transport hub.
If we continue investing in our workers, developing their skills, supporting their careers, and strengthening the Singaporean core, we will not only reinforce Singapore’s position as a global transport hub, we will reinforce Singapore’s reputation as a nation that succeeds because we never leave our workers behind. And that is why every Singaporean worker can look into the future with confidence, dignity, knowing that we have their backs.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the motion. Thank you.
