SINGAPORE – As artificial intelligence disrupts entire industries, the Government may not be able to protect every job – but it will protect every worker, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
To aid the AI transition, Singapore plans to scale up company training committees (CTCs) across various sectors and companies, he said at the annual May Day Rally on May 1.
An NTUC initiative first mooted in February 2019, these committees bring together a company’s management and union representatives to figure out what skills employees need as businesses evolve, and to plan the training and job changes that follow. More than 3,800 have been formed.
CTCs can apply for funding through grants that support up to 70 per cent of the qualifying cost related to business transformation or training, and these grants have supported more than 900 projects as at 2026.
Because the CTC model has worked and delivered concrete results, the Government can take it further, said PM Wong. He noted that with AI, there is no one-size-fits-all solution as every sector is unique and companies face different constraints.
“But together, unions and employers can drive AI adoption for stronger growth and better jobs for our workers,” he said.
That is also why the Government, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation have set up the Tripartite Jobs Council, PM Wong said.
Announced the day before the rally, the council is meant to bring together resources, coordinate efforts and guide the AI transition. It will also ensure that the national push for AI “will always benefit workers”, he said.
Describing AI as the “defining technology of our time”, PM Wong said its impact on workplaces will be much greater than previous waves of technological transformation.
Jobs will change, some will disappear, and the pace of change will be faster than anything Singapore has seen before, he told more than 1,600 union leaders and attendees at the rally in Downtown East.
“I cannot promise that there will be no disruption,” he said. “But this I can promise you: As our economy transforms, we will create new and better jobs. We may not be able to protect every job, but we will protect every worker.”
PM Wong said the Government will provide the tools, pathways and support for workers to use AI.
“But we also need Singaporeans to step forward. Do not let anxiety or uncertainty hold you back from learning and using AI,” he said, urging people to master the technology.
Companies that embrace AI will stay competitive, and workers who build AI skills will have better opportunities and prospects, he added.
