Foo Cexiang on jobs, reskilling and AI in workplaces

He and Jalan Besar GRC MP Shawn Loh – both former civil servants – were the youngest additions to the Government in that Cabinet reshuffle. Loh will join as Minister of State for Health and Education in January 2027.

ST will also interview other first-term MPs and office-holders with new appointments or promotions.

Creating more opportunities for Singaporeans

Foo told ST that his portfolios are centred on jobs and opportunities. At MOM, he looks at workplace fairness, strengthening the human resources sector as well as platform workers.

At the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, he oversees trade in emerging areas such as Africa and Latin America, along with Europe, and also supports Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong in engaging the United States on tariffs.

Domestically, his focus is on consumer protection and fair competition, as well as working with the associations to create more jobs.

Over the next few months, he plans to meet small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across sectors such as interior design, plumbing, landscaping, waterproofing, jewellery, food and beverage, and retail.

These sectors “maybe typically are not seen to have a certain government agency that is the champion or the so-called regulator, but are sectors that many Singaporeans work in”, he said.

They are diffused, with a fair share of reliance on foreign workers, while many local entrepreneurs are the ones at the helm, he noted.

These domestic-facing sectors face productivity challenges, alongside underlying issues like difficulty in hiring workers, as well as rental, fuel and energy costs, said Foo.

He aims to take the same approach here as with the job struggles – identify the underlying characteristics and develop targeted measures.

Asked about his working style, Foo said he is the same person as when he first joined the civil service.

“I chase not just the thing to be achieved, but how we achieve it, because that’s what makes for a sustainable, long-term team,” he said.

“If every time we achieve something that is difficult to do, but everyone around the room feels that wow, you know, we are in this together, then they will crave the next time, and the next time we can do even more difficult things.”

On making workplaces more family-friendly – a priority he had raised in previous interviews – Foo said his focus would be on flexibility.

Young parents value flexibility at work, beyond time off for a child’s doctor’s appointment or attending a graduation concert. It is also about how work is distributed within the organisation, he said.

“This is a very difficult conversation, because people who have no children will say it’s not fair that they have to cover for parents who take time off to care for their children,” he said.

He called for a “give and take” approach, noting that colleagues without children may have medical needs of their own, as well as ageing parents and other family members to look after.

But translating this give-and-take into policy will be difficult, as hard-coding such flexibility into rules risks turning it into a perceived right, said Foo.

Instead, the work required is to persuade and engage companies, including by identifying those that have strong human resource cultures and whose data reflects that workers who are more engaged are more productive.

Integrating AI use for companies and workers

On the impact of AI on jobs, Foo said what worries him the most is that the technology has changed the way people learn skills and build relationships.

He used the example of drafting meeting notes, which he said trains young civil servants to understand the interests behind what people say and the dynamics in the room. This also trains cognitive, interpersonal and intra-organisational abilities.

But if young officers use AI to record the minutes, the middle management will have a very low understanding of the organisation in 10 years’ time, he cautioned.

Foo also flagged the risk of potential job loss at the “bottom rung” of the career ladder, which will impact young graduates most acutely – a risk also recently highlighted by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

PM Wong had said that new hires are often tasked with doing the routine work that AI will replace, but such work has some value and tacit learning. Firms must be careful not to automate this away, he added.

Foo said MOM is working with SWDA and industry associations to see how to provide graduates with greater assurance of employment when they enter the job market.

“It is something that we don’t have much time to develop,” he said. “We need to be able to put in place initiatives quite quickly, because looking at some of the other countries where it happens, the cliff can be quite sharp.”

Amid uncertainty about integrating AI in the workplace, MOM is also speaking to companies and developing guidelines, references and good models on AI use, said Foo.  

His biggest question for companies and workers: “Does AI reduce trust between workers and employers, or does it increase trust?” 

It can erode trust if decisions seem to come from an algorithm, but it can also build trust by enabling deeper analysis, he said.

“The day you are not able to communicate decisions that you make using AI, and you’re just relying on AI, then I think you’re finished,” he added.