\n<\/p>\n
The seven WP MPs who spoke during the debate put forth several proposals to support workers through the AI transition. All of them ultimately said they supported the motion.<\/p>\n
In his speech, Mr Gerald Giam (WP-Aljunied) suggested setting up a national \u201cAI equity fund\u201d, with part of the fund going to a \u201csocial dividend\u201d. He said the revenue would be distributed as a direct payout to every adult Singapore citizen.<\/p>\n
The source of the fund\u2019s contributions could be from corporate taxes and Singapore\u2019s net investment returns, he said.<\/p>\n
The purpose of the dividend is to provide an additional cushion for families and allow Singapore to reap the benefits of AI without \u201coverly exacerbating\u201d social inequality, said Mr Giam.<\/p>\n
He proposed an initial dividend of S$500 per adult.<\/p>\n
Mr Giam then added that the remaining portion of the fund could be dedicated to a \u201cmastery fund\u201d, which will be an employer-led on-the-job training model that provides the apprentice a wage, covering 50 per cent of the gross salary capped at the median wage for six months for any Singapore citizen entering or transitioning into an AI-augmented role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis rewards the workers\u2019 effort in adapting, while lowering the barrier for firms to hire, train and retain talent in this volatile market,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The mastery fund would also finance a pool of expert on-the-job consultants, which will help small and medium enterprises fill a talent gap, he added.<\/p>\n
In another speech, Non-Constituency MP Andre Low also proposed changes to the Jobseeker Support Scheme (JSS) to better protect workers displaced by AI.<\/p>\n
Currently, the JSS pays up to S$6,000 over six months tapering in monthly installments and is only available to workers who earned S$5,000 or less.<\/p>\n
\u201cA payment that starts high and slowly reduces is not a flaw. It is a countdown, and a countdown pushes a worker to take the first offer, not the right one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Instead of the JSS, the WP has proposed a redundancy insurance scheme, where retrenched workers will receive a payout of 40 per cent of their last drawn salary, with no income ceiling and no tapering mechanism.<\/p>\n
This will be funded by employer-employee contributions in the same model as the Central Provident Fund (CPF), and it covers every worker who pays in, he said.<\/p>\n
In response, Dr Tan said that both Mr Giam and Mr Low’s proposals rest on a more \u201cpessimistic premise\u201d that Singaporeans are \u201cessentially passive passengers in the AI transition\u201d and without agency to seize opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot hold on, and I would not hold on to such a premise,\u201d said the manpower minister, adding that both proposals are not a form of empowerment.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it is a settlement resigned to the fact that mass displacement is inevitable and that the best we can do is soften the blow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should have more confidence in the tenacity and the adaptability of our fellow Singaporeans,\u201d he said, adding that the convention is to invest in people rather than to \u201ccompensate them for their circumstances\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dr Tan also took aim at a suggestion by Mr Kenneth Tiong (WP-Aljunied) to universalise the six months\u2019 free access to premium AI tools, which is currently given out to those taking selected AI courses.<\/p>\n
Dr Tan said not all Singaporeans require frontier AI tools and that free versions suffice.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy tying subsidies to training, we are better able to target those who are more serious about leveling up their use of AI, and we help them to make optimal and responsible use of such powerful tools,\u201d he said.
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n