\n<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: The disruption caused by artificial intelligence will not be short-term or cyclical, but the shift will \u201copen new <\/strong>doors\u201d for workers, said National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general Ng Chee Meng on Friday (May 1).<\/p>\n To this end, Mr Ng set out plans to expand the labour movement\u2019s Company Training Committees (CTCs) to help workers navigate the disruption brought by AI, as well as to broaden its support for more workers, including professionals.<\/p>\n In a speech to more than 1,600 union leaders and tripartite partners at the May Day Rally in Downtown East, Mr Ng also spelled out how NTUC intends to spur \u201ccollective action\u201d through its recently announced Tripartite Jobs Council.<\/p>\n He said these moves come as AI is expected to reshape jobs across sectors, including for professionals, managers and executives.<\/p>\n “The AI era will demand the same of us, if not more, for tripartite collaboration. The question really is, how? How can we stand by our workers when the disruption could be … extensive?” Mr Ng asked.<\/p>\n “So this moment, disruptive as it is, anxious as we are, will open new doors of opportunities,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n To capitalise on this, Mr Ng said one approach is for tripartite partners to tap their capabilities to improve businesses and jobs.<\/p>\n In this light, the CTCs will be strengthened to drive AI adoption and transformation.<\/p>\n This includes through \u201cAI transformation blueprints\u201d \u2013 developed with AI Singapore \u2013 to help firms assess their readiness and implement solutions, as well as partnerships with tech players to bring in expertise and networks.<\/p>\n The CTC is a labour movement initiative first launched in 2019, in which employers are encouraged to form training committees with unions to work together on ways to boost worker career prospects and wages through structured training and technology adoption.<\/p>\n It is also supported by grant funding from NTUC of up to 70 per cent of qualifying cost for each project.<\/p>\n In addition, the CTCs will be scaled up to uplift more workers, including professionals.<\/p>\n One way it will do so is to partner the GP+ Co-operative to support general practitioners in using new technologies and improve productivity in clinics, said Mr Ng. GP+ is a co-operative society formed by a group of doctors with the aim of improving healthcare in Singapore.<\/p>\n Accountants, too, can be supported through CTC partnerships to adopt AI tools and reduce manual work, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks.<\/p>\n Mr Ng said six cluster CTCs were formed last year using an “ecosystem approach”.<\/p>\n This involves using “Queen Bee” companies to drive transformation across networks of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and workers under them.<\/p>\n “Together, these partnerships have the potential to benefit workers in more than 600 SMEs,” Mr Ng said.<\/p>\n Giving more details on the Tripartite Jobs Council that was announced on Thursday, Mr Ng said the aim is for the government, unions and employers to pool resources and scale impact on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Tripartite Jobs Council is not starting from scratch. Each tripartite partner brings proven strengths. The key now is to bring them together, go even bigger, better and faster,\u201d said Mr Ng.<\/p>\n On the government’s end, SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore have built up a comprehensive skills and jobs ecosystem, and their merger into the Skills and Workforce Development Agency will improve worker outcomes, he said.<\/p>\n Within the labour movement, NTUC LearningHub has been rolling out AI training pathways tailored to different roles and sectors.<\/p>\n From Friday, union members will receive funding support for AI tool subscriptions to experiment and learn AI.<\/p>\n “Many of our workers still wonder … what must I do to be truly AI ready?” Mr Ng asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n On this, he said the Tripartite Jobs Council will \u201cclose that gap\u201d by bringing together efforts to provide more tailored guidance for workers so that they have the support they need.<\/p>\n Beyond transformation efforts, Mr Ng said the labour movement will continue to care for workers\u2019 immediate needs.<\/p>\n NTUC will commit close to S$37 million (US$29 million) this year to provide practical help for workers and their families for their daily needs.<\/p>\n Among other things, the total amount will go into an NTUC Care Fund to provide financial assistance to lower income members and their families, Income OrangeAid to support financial empowerment and education, as well as to the FairPrice Foundation to improve food access.<\/p>\n It has also launched a new NTUC Community Fund, with a target of raising S$500 million over the next five years to support children and seniors.SUPPORTING WORKERS THROUGH TRIPARTITE JOBS COUNCIL<\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n