Tan See Leng
Singapore
“We are aware of the Singapore Workplace Report 2026, produced by the Singapore Institute of Directors and Gallup, and we are studying its findings.”
“The Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation (Taskforce) actively reaches out to all retrenched local employees. In 2025, 77% of Mandatory Retrenchment Notifications (MRNs) were submitted at least seven days ahead of the employee's last working day and 73% of MRNs were submitted at least two weeks ahead.”
“From 2022 to 2025, vacancy rates for technical maintenance roles in the real estate services sector, which includes facilities management, have been lower than the overall job vacancy rate, except in 2025 (see Table 1).”
“The Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) works with sector agencies to determine the courses which are required by the respective industries. The SWDA currently funds more than 100 courses, spanning a wide range of mental health-related fields.”
“In the first quarter of 2026, the profile of retrenched residents aged 50 to 59 was broadly similar to the profile of all retrenched residents, predominantly comprising professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) and were mainly from wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, financial and insurance services and profession…”
“In 2025, around 4,200 resident professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) aged 45 to 59 were retrenched, higher than 3,200 in 2024 and 3,500 in 2023. Their six-month re-entry rate remained stable at 48.5% in 2025, compared with 48.9% in 2024 and 50.1% in 2023.”
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“Between 2016 to 2025, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) received 163 race-based workplace discrimination complaints. This made up about 5% of all workplace discrimination complaints that were lodged with TAFEP within the same period. The top three sectors with race-based complaints were Administrative and Support Service Activities, Wholesale and Retail Trade, and Education.”
“The Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation (Taskforce) actively reaches out to all retrenched local employees. In 2025, 77% of Mandatory Retrenchment Notifications (MRNs) were submitted at least seven days ahead of the employee's last working day and 73% of MRNs were submitted at least two weeks ahead. Of all companies who submitted MRNs before the retrenched employee's last working day, 74% provided employment facilitation to affected employees either through the Taskforce's employment facilitation services, their own channels, such as private outplacement firms, or a combination of both. Among workers retrenched between January and July 2025 who took up the Taskforce's assistance before their last day of employment, about two-thirds re-entered employment within six months, above the median six-month re-entry rate for retrenched residents in 2025.”
“From 2022 to 2025, vacancy rates for technical maintenance roles in the real estate services sector, which includes facilities management, have been lower than the overall job vacancy rate, except in 2025 (see Table 1). Work passes are not categorised by occupations, but according to the skill-level or role (for example, professionals, managers, executives and technicians) of foreign workers. Facilities maintenance technicians are generally hired under Work Permits or S Passes. Our Work Pass framework allows firms to access foreign manpower to complement their local workforce. Firms that have a strong local core are given a higher quota for more Work Permit and S Pass workers. The Ministry of Manpower's assessment is that the current categorisation of work passes is adequate for the real estate services sector.”
“The Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) works with sector agencies to determine the courses which are required by the respective industries. The SWDA currently funds more than 100 courses, spanning a wide range of mental health-related fields. These courses equip participants with skills in areas, such as resilience and self-care, psychological assessment and psychological intervention. Beyond SkillsFuture programmes, the Health Promotion Board and the Agency for Integrated Care also support training in mental health-related fields. While there are currently no plans to expand the course offerings, SWDA will continue to work with sector agencies to review the range of courses periodically, taking into account the requirements to support mental health and well-being needs.”
“The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme provides temporary financial support to individuals who become involuntarily unemployed. Individuals who were previously self-employed, including owners of sole proprietorships or partnerships who have ceased their businesses, are not eligible for the scheme.”
“The Government does not prescribe specific job redesign policy requirements for older employees. We take a broad-based approach to promote age-friendly employment practices across all sectors, including supporting employers to re-design roles and work processes to better leverage the knowledge and experiences of senior workers.”
“The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) collects information pertaining to workplace accidents through the reports submitted via the iReport system. This includes the time of the accident, when the injured employee had started work and the official working hours of the injured employee, which allows MOM to assess if fatigue and sleep deprivation could be contributory factors of the accidents. Hence, there are no plans to introduce additional indicators or reporting mechanisms, which would add to the reporting burden on employers.”
“In the first quarter of 2026, the profile of retrenched residents aged 50 to 59 was broadly similar to the profile of all retrenched residents, predominantly comprising professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) and were mainly from wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, financial and insurance services and professional services. Among residents aged 50 to 59, the rate of re-entry into employment six months after retrenchment was 51.8%, rising to 63.2% at the twelve-month mark. Among those who re-entered, around eight in 10 entered similar or higher-skilled occupations and more than half received similar or higher wages in their full-time roles.”
“In 2025, around 4,200 resident professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) aged 45 to 59 were retrenched, higher than 3,200 in 2024 and 3,500 in 2023. Their six-month re-entry rate remained stable at 48.5% in 2025, compared with 48.9% in 2024 and 50.1% in 2023. The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme helps ease the immediate financial pressures of involuntarily unemployed individuals to rush into a new, potentially ill-fitting job. It is, therefore, targeted at lower- to middle-income individuals. Around 20% of retrenched resident PMETs aged 45 to 59 were eligible in 2023 and 2024. Data for the 2025 retrenched cohort is not yet available.”
“From 2020 to 2025, Singapore's labour productivity, measured by real value-added per actual hour worked and real value-added per worker, grew by 2.6% per annum and 3.0% per annum respectively. Over the same period, total factor productivity (TFP) grew by 2.4% per annum. TFP growth in the past five years has been supported by continued business transformation, workforce upskilling and reskilling, and Government investments in research and development through the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Plan, alongside initiatives promoting digitalisation and artificial intelligence adoption. Our foreign workforce strategy also enables this. We continue to remain globally connected and open to talent that can complement our skilled local workforce, while reducing reliance on foreign labour where there is scope to raise productivity. These efforts have strengthened firms' productivity and competitiveness. The proportion of profitable establishments rose from 62.8% in 2020 to 83.1% in 2025. From 2020 to 2025, real median income of full-time employed residents grew 1.6% per annum, broadly in tandem with productivity gains, suggesting wage growth has been sustainable and underpinned by improvements in underlying economic productivity.”
“The Ministry has begun tracking caregiving patterns, including the number of caregivers who concurrently care for children and parents. Based on our inaugural survey conducted in late 2025, around one in 10 working caregivers fall into this group. The Ministry is studying the data and will release more detailed findings when ready.”
“The Skills and Workforce Development Agency already requires training providers to provide accurate and up-to-date course details on the MySkillsFuture portal.”
“Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry has filed a related question for a subsequent Sitting. We will respond to these questions together.”
“We are aware of the Singapore Workplace Report 2026, produced by the Singapore Institute of Directors and Gallup, and we are studying its findings. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) monitors a range of labour market and workplace indicators related to youth employment outcomes, including training participation, working conditions and labour productivity. We do not track the quality of onboarding, mentorship and managerial support even though they are important factors in early workplace experiences because these are difficult to measure consistently and reliably across firms and sectors. MOM recognises the importance of encouraging positive early-career workplace experiences. We recently introduced the Singapore Opportunity Index, which assesses the extent to which larger firms create economic opportunities for their employees in areas, such as hiring, career progression and retention. This supports employers to benchmark their workforce outcomes and review their strategies towards young talent. MOM will continue to explore ways to better support young workers.”
“If there is non-payment across multiple companies, the director can be subject to penalties for all cases, and all instances of non-payment will be considered in meting out penalties. MOM will look beyond individual companies to examine who exercises effective control over employment and payment decisions and take enforcement action accordingly. Protecting all workers and ensuring they are paid their salaries on time is a priority for the MOM. MOM will continue to review and strengthen our processes and safeguards to do so, incorporating the lessons from the ongoing case.”
“However, where there is deliberate or prolonged evasion or misuse of corporate structures, we will take firm action. Employers who fail to pay salaries may face fines of between $3,000 and $15,000 per charge, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. For the ongoing case, TADM had been approached about salary non-payment by five workers from KPA Engineering, individually, and at different points in 2025. Following assistance from TADM, all cases were resolved within a week with the workers receiving payment from the employer. There were claims filed in May and before 22 June 2026 by four other workers from KPA Engineering, which were in the midst of being processed. MOM curtailed KPA Engineering and VVR Plant Engineering's work pass privileges in April and early-June 2026 respectively due to levy defaults. This means that the companies have not been able to hire new foreign workers since then. While SK Industries had also defaulted on their levies previously, their work pass privileges were reinstated after the owed levies had been paid up. On 8 June 2026, MOM was also informed of a dormitory eviction notice affecting many KPA Engineering employees and we stepped in to assist the affected workers and understand the situation. At this point, we also spoke to the workers and found that many of them were facing salary delays. We then took steps to contact the company directors, prior to the group of 196 workers approaching MOM on 22 June 2026. Members asked about cases where salary non-payment occurs across companies with a common director. When investigating a company, if the director is found to be in breach of employment obligations, MOM will typically investigate other companies under the same director.”
“We will continue to work with the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) and the Singapore Contractors Association to facilitate transfers for the rest of the workers should they wish to continue working in Singapore. TADM has processed the majority of claims from the affected workers and referred them to MWC for financial assistance. MWC will extend financial assistance to the affected migrant workers via its charity arm, the Migrant Workers' Assistance Fund, depending on the circumstances of each case, and this would address a good portion of their owed salaries. The director of the three companies, Mr Ramu Palani Velu, is currently assisting with investigations. MOM will thoroughly investigate the case and decide on appropriate enforcement actions after investigations have been completed. Members asked about MOM's risk monitoring and enforcement approach to protect workers. Non-payment and late payment of salaries are offences under the EA and the EFMA. MOM proactively monitors salary-related risks using indicators, such as worker feedback and salary claims, late payment patterns via payment records, levy defaults, and other signs of financial or employment irregularities. Where these indicate a pattern of delayed or unpaid salaries, MOM conducts targeted inspections to identify if there have been any employment breaches. In some cases, employers may miss salary payments due to short-term cash flow issues. Once this is detected, MOM would engage the employers. Where employers face genuine difficulties and act responsibly to resolve them, we give them a chance to resolve their issues and make good their obligations so that they can continue operations and sustain employment for their workers.”
“Members have filed these Parliamentary Questions (PQs) likely in response to the case where KPA Engineering, SK Industries and VVR Plant Engineering did not pay salaries for a large group of their workers, and I am taking these PQs together to provide a more holistic response. We share Members' concern for the affected migrant workers and empathise with the anxiety and financial hardship of the workers and their families. Let me first recap the facts of the case and provide an update on how my Ministry is working to resolve it, together with our stakeholders. On 22 June 2026, 196 migrant workers from KPA Engineering and SK Industries approached the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) with unpaid salary claims. On the same day, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) and MOM immediately stepped in to assist the workers in lodging salary claims, conducting well-being checks, and addressing their food and housing needs. Over the subsequent days, more workers approached MOM, including workers from VVR Plant Engineering, and we also extended assistance to these workers. A total of 407 salary claims has been filed against the three companies. MOM has commenced investigations into the three companies for offences under the Employment Act (EA) and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA). Currently, MOM is focused on ensuring the well-being of the affected workers and investigating the matter thoroughly so that we can take appropriate enforcement action. We have rehoused all affected workers who require alternative accommodation. We have also issued all workers with Special Passes to allow them to remain in Singapore while they search for new employment. More than 130 workers have found jobs with new employers.”
“The Member may refer to the combined oral reply on the energy crisis and trade fragmentation delivered on 7 May 2026. [Please refer to "Impact of Energy Crisis on Hiring Prospects", Official Report, 7 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 31, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“The Ministry of Manpower does not track the annual premiums of medical insurance policies for migrant workers.”
“The Member may refer to the combined oral reply on overqualification delivered on 5 May 2026. [Please refer to "Survey Finding of Workers Being Overqualified for Their Roles and Implications on Career and Wage Progression, and Underemployment", Official Report, 5 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 29, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“The Non-Traditional Source Occupation List (NTS-OL) gives businesses access to more diverse sources of labour where there are significant manpower shortages. The occupations are carefully selected in consultation with sector agencies and unions, taking into account the degree of shortages in local manpower and from other approved Work Permit sources. In addition to mainstream quotas and levies, employers are subject to a more stringent sub-dependency ratio ceiling of 8% and a fixed monthly salary criterion of at least $2,000 when hiring Work Permit holders on the NTS-OL. These controls ensure that firms remain incentivised to raise productivity, as well as redesign jobs and raise wages to attract local workers. The Ministry of Manpower publishes detailed wage data across occupations, including those listed on the NTS-OL, through the Occupational Wage Survey. Based on the latest published data, local wages for occupations on the NTS-OL have remained broadly stable over 2023 to 2024. We will continue to review the impact of the NTS-OL on local employment outcomes regularly with sector agencies and unions.”
“The Government will provide free subscriptions to selected premium artificial intelligence (AI) tools to Singaporeans who participate in eligible training programmes. The subscription will give them the opportunity to have hands-on practice with these tools, by experimenting with and integrating AI in their daily work and lives. This supports our broader objective of raising the overall level of AI literacy in our workforce and giving workers greater confidence to face the AI transformation of the economy and jobs. To evaluate whether the scheme has met its objectives, we will track a range of indicators on usage and attitudes towards AI. These include aggregate data on the take-up of the subscriptions, patterns of usage and sustained engagement over the six-month free access period and beyond. We may also conduct periodic surveys to assess users' confidence and perceived capability to apply AI at work, to better understand how access to the free AI subscriptions has supported practical workplace use. The Training Quality and Outcomes Measurement survey is applied to all SSG-funded courses, including the curated AI courses that serve as a prerequisite for the subscription.”
“The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigates complaints of foreign freelancers working illegally in Singapore and will take firm enforcement action against those found to have flouted the law. However, our enforcement powers do not allow us to act against those who advertise their services from overseas. If necessary, we may engage social media platforms to assist in taking down listings involving foreign freelancers advertising their services. MOM will continue to monitor the situation and consider further measures where necessary.”
“The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not track the annual premiums of medical insurance policies for Employment Pass (EP) Holders. MOM does not intend to require employers to purchase medical insurance for EP Holders. Unlike Work Permit Holders and S Pass Holders, EP Holders are subject to a higher salary threshold and have the means to purchase their own insurance.”
“I thank Dr Choo for her supplementary question. The answer is a resounding yes. I had the opportunity of reading the draft of the Economic Strategy Review report. I think it is going to be released soon. Many of the points that she covered will and have been addressed in the report, which I think will be released and shared in due time. But based on what we have been debating over the last two days – yesterday, seven hours; the previous day, on the formation of the Skills and Workforce Development Agency, five over hours – in an over 12-hour stretch of debate, this is really what the focus is all about. About how we can prepare our workers and how we are going to invest in our workers to further reinforce their competitive advantage in dealing with longer-term structural shifts in our entire economy and in the entire workforce transformation journey.”
“Our sense is that many countries are moving, not just thinking about diversification but they are also moving into a "just in case" mode rather than "just in time". For Singapore, because we stand at a very strategic crossroad between the East and the West, I believe that given the decades of goodwill, the trust, the credibility and our reputation that we have built as a very reliable partner to many countries, this crisis will test us and if we are able to prevail, I think, it would cement, reinforce and consolidate our position as a trusted hub. So, to that end, our Prime Minister has, in recent weeks, committed that we will not impose any export restriction. For downstream refined products, the essential fuel products – whether it is motor gas, diesel and so on – many of the countries depend on our refinery hubs to get access to that downstream supply. And our sectors here will continue to see relevance. And of course, we are equally committed to our decarbonisation targets that we have set for ourselves. So, I believe that these are new opportunities in the energy space, in the supply chain space that we are able and we have our right to play a role. We have our competitive advantage and we will continue to build on them, including our port, our maritime hub, our connectivity, our entire logistics, moving into advanced manufacturing, financial services and healthcare. So, I hope that gives the Member the overall opportunities available, first and foremost to Singaporeans and complementary talent who will come here to help us reinforce our position and help us to continue to grow.”
“I thank Mr Liang for those two very insightful supplementary questions. I think it is premature today to conclude on the long-term structural impact related to the industry transformation, because the crisis, as we speak, is still unfolding. And if you look at the media, it evolves on a daily basis. It is also reflected in the way oil prices and stock prices have moved concurrently. Our view is that the crisis is likely to accelerate the existing structural shifts that are already underway in the entire global economy. I am talking about supply chain diversification, digitalisation. Yesterday, we spent seven hours talking about artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and the energy transition and also energy resilience. Our sense is that this will indeed push and test the resilience of countries, of economies, but in crises like these, it also creates a lot of new opportunities for firms to transform, to diversify and to deepen their capabilities. In the energy supply chain, we are in the entire energy ecosystem. Energy has come to the forefront because it is existential for all of us. And with the move towards a pervasive adoption of AI, there will be a need for even more energy to drive the data centres and the high compute requirements of these AI data centres. Energy is really the new currency and it is existential for all of us. We are also at a time in our entire civilisations' development where there is actually an abundance of new discoveries in oil and gas, and there are also a lot of accelerated developments towards green energy sources. What we are experiencing currently are supply chain blockages, chokeholds – for instance, what we are seeing now in the Middle East in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. We have not seen any shifts at the moment in firms' hiring preferences. Our resident employment continued to grow in the first quarter of 2026, and we just released the report about a week ago. That growth was higher compared to the first quarter of 2025; so, there is seasonality in terms of the change involved. If you compare, you would compare the first quarter of this year, 2026, versus the first quarter of 2025; and the resident employment continued to grow. Our Work Pass policies also ensure that Singaporeans are given a level playing field against foreign workers and we do our level best to ensure that our foreign workers here are complementary to our local Singaporean workers. We have been continually calibrating our Work Pass policies in response to labour market conditions. For example, at Budget and the Committee of Supply this year, we announced an increase in Employment Pass and S Pass qualifying salaries that will take effect from January 2027. We also regularly review the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) Shortage Occupation List (SOL) to remove occupations that are no longer in shortage. So, we always seek to strike a right balance between ensuring that our businesses have that space, the latitude to continue to grow, while ensuring that our local Singaporean workers and talent continue to also have the trajectory for them to grow as well.”
“Members may refer to Deputy Prime Minister's Ministerial Statement on 7 April, which described the economic impact of the Middle East crisis. Energy-intensive industries and outward-oriented sectors saw the most impact from increased energy costs. The crisis has also increased domestic operating costs and compounded challenges for export-oriented sectors, which are already impacted by global trade fragmentation. While the labour market remains resilient for now, businesses have become more cautious in their hiring plans amid the heightened uncertainty. Based on the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) survey, the proportion of firms intending to hire in the next three months, fell from 54.6% in February 2026 to 44.6% in March 2026. Although expectations remain below February's levels, there were early signs of stabilisation in April. This was supported by data from the Economic Development Board and the Department of Statistics, which suggest that hiring sentiments are likely to further stabilise and improve over the longer term. All jobseekers who need assistance can tap on Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore's suite of career matching services and programmes. Depending on the economic and job market conditions, MOM stands ready to provide further support to jobseekers, if necessary.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, good morning. With your permission, I would like to address oral Questions Nos 1 and 2 in today’s Order Paper together. My reply will also cover written Question No 28. And I invite all Members to seek clarifications after.”
“IMDA will also be expanding the TechSkills Accelerator programme to develop AI-bilingual workers, starting with accountancy, legal and HR professionals.”
“As Minister of State Jasmin Lau shared, IMDA will also be expanding the TechSkills Accelerator programme to develop AI-bilingual workers, starting with accountancy, legal and HR professionals. [Please refer to "An Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transition with No Jobless Growth", Official Report, 6 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 30, Motions section.] [(proc text) Written statement by Dr Tan See Leng circulated with leave of the Speaker in accordance with Standing Order No 29(5): (proc text)] I wish to make the following factual correction to my statement made at the Sitting of 6 May 2026. My statement should read as follows:”
“Based on the Ministry of Manpower's survey of private companies1, an average of 67.8%, or about 10,400 companies, provided unplanned time-off for employees to attend to personal matters, including medical appointments and other caregiving needs, from 2022 to 2024. Over the same period, companies also offered other forms of non-statutory leave, including non-statutory paid family care leave2 (34.5% or 5,300), paid sick leave without medical certificate3 (27.9% or 4,600) and additional paid child sick leave4 (36.4% or 5,500).”
“Information on the Reduced Life Expectancy (RLE) scheme is published on the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board's website. Patients applying for the RLE scheme can approach public healthcare institutions (PHIs) to complete the necessary medical assessment report, which PHIs will submit directly to CPF Board. CPF Board is working to raise awareness of the scheme among eligible patients in several ways, such as by providing informational brochures at relevant locations, including PHIs. Between 2023 and 2025, the CPF Board received an annual average of around 2,000 applications under the RLE scheme. The CPF Board and the Ministry of Health continuously review and streamline our processes. We will tap on existing clinical assessment records of palliative care patients' prognosis, which will make the application process faster.”
“Results from a survey conducted by the Ministry of Manpower shows that among full-time employed residents providing care to family or non-family members, around six in 10 had spent 20 hours or more a week on caregiving activities in 2025. As 2025 survey was the inaugural run, we do not have information on how this pattern has changed over time.”
“There are about 1,600 dormitories currently licensed under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act, of which 30% are on the new dormitory standards and house 12 or fewer residents per room. The remaining 70% are older dormitories that typically house between 12 and 16 residents per room. Of the existing dormitories required to transition to the improved interim standards by 2030, 15% of the dormitories have either commenced works or indicated their transition plans to the Ministry of Manpower. These dormitories have a combined capacity of about 111,000 beds, which account for about half the number of beds that need to make this transition.”
“Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) are not required to reveal their location on their rest days, which are necessary to allow MDWs to recharge from work and form support networks. At home, employers must provide their MDW with accommodation with adequate space and privacy. Employers must inform their MDW of the presence and location of any video recording devices in the home. MDWs who have concerns about their privacy at home or on their rest days may call the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) MDW helpline to seek advice and support. They may also contact the helplines of non-governmental organisations, such as the Center for Domestic Employees and Brahm Centre. There are currently no plans to introduce new provisions, and MOM will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
“There were around 58,000 platform workers who received the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) in at least one month of Work Year 2025. Their breakdown by months received is in Table 1 below.”
“Later this year, Singaporeans who take up eligible AI training courses will receive six months complimentary access to premium versions of AI tools, to build familiarity and allow them to practice applying these tools in real-world contexts. We will continue to monitor labour market trends closely and calibrate our support as jobs evolve, to help Singaporean workers build relevant skills, including AI capabilities, to remain competitive in an evolving labour market.”
“The Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) data shows that professional, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in the information and communications, financial services and professional services sectors have seen relatively higher retrenchment incidence in recent years, compared to employees in other sectors and occupation groups. Higher incidence of retrenchment indicates ongoing restructuring rather than a contraction in PMET demand. MOM does not have data on salary premiums for artificial intelligence (AI) skills, as AI adoption by companies in Singapore is still in their early stages. Employee salaries depend on many factors beyond AI proficiency, including sector, experience and market conditions. To support Singaporeans in acquiring skills, including for AI, to remain competitive, the Government has taken several steps. First, supporting access to good jobs and opportunities. Workforce Singapore's Career Conversion Programmes supports individuals, including those in clerical and back-office roles, to pivot into new job roles with good longer-term prospects. For fresh graduates who have not found full-time jobs, the Graduate Industry Traineeship scheme provides structured, industry-relevant work experience to help them gain a foothold in the labour market. To support workers specifically in building AI capabilities, we are strengthening access to AI-related training. SkillsFuture Singapore is making AI learning pathways easier to navigate, so that working adults can identify courses suited to their proficiency levels and sought by employers. We are also encouraging broader adoption of AI tools.”
“The Progressive Wage Credit Scheme was introduced in 2022 as a transitionary support scheme to help businesses defray the costs of wage increases to support lower-wage workers, including those under the Progressive Wage Model requirements. Employers are encouraged to use this period of transition support to invest in upskilling their employees, transforming their businesses and improving productivity so that wage increases are sustainable. As we had just announced an increase in co-funding for wage increases given in 2026 and to extend support for two more years, it is premature to discuss plans beyond 2028. We will continue to monitor the global situation and review our policies, so that lower-wage workers are supported through sustainable wage increases.”
“The Member may refer to the combined oral reply on overqualification delivered on 5 May 2026. [Please refer to "Survey Finding of Workers Being Overqualified for Their Roles and Implications on Career and Wage Progression, and Underemployment", Official Report, 5 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 29, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“The Government does not impose English language proficiency requirements for Work Pass holders. It is more appropriate for employers to determine the level of language proficiency required, which is no different from other job requirements, based on their business needs.”
“The cited National University of Singapore study projected economic losses arising from reduced productivity and work capacity due to rising temperatures, considering the direct impact on affected sectors and indirect losses incurred downstream by other related sectors. Across the four sectors studied, the estimated economic losses were highest in the services sector, followed by manufacturing, construction and agriculture. The workers at higher risk are typically those involved in prolonged outdoor work activities, particularly in the construction, marine and process sectors. In consultation with tripartite partners and industry, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) updated the heat stress measures for outdoor work in September 2024, including introducing targeted measures for these sectors. Construction sites with a contract sum of $5 million or more, shipyards and the process sector are required to have a wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) meter on site for localised measurements. The WBGT readings are used to guide the implementation of other measures, such as rest breaks and hydration requirements. MOM is also working with companies to promote and conduct trials on the use of technology solutions to better manage heat stress while mitigating productivity losses. These solutions include cooling vests and garments, and wearables that can allow for real-time, personalised monitoring of heat illness risk for workers in the construction and built environment sectors.”
“Mr Speaker, I heard Mr Tiong's speech earlier on and where he also expounded on his experience in learning a lot of the cutting edge, I think it was Anthropic Claude, and he mentioned a few of that. I must say that not everyone, myself certainly, would have his level of expertise when it comes to AI. What we are trying to do is to make it pervasive to bring as broad a segment of our population as possible and tying it to a slightly lower hurdle for them to acquire that confidence, that comfort in using AI. So, our journey is about ensuring that everyone gets a stable path, covering a pathway devoid of potholes, bringing hopefully everyone to base camp before we prepare to scale the peak. I think I have articulated the vision.”
“I think the straight answer is through real income improvement. For today's Motion, the NTUC Secretary-General will be wrapping up. But in the months, in the years ahead, I have shared that SWDA will have very clear key performance index outcomes, including tying the Enterprise Workforce Training Package, job redesign to specific skin in the game for both the businesses tapping on such grants, to improvement in real wages and career progression for the workers. That is how we envisage the pie to be shared.”
“Likewise, I am really glad, particularly from Mr Low that, and I presume, since he is mentioning his name, Mr Giam as well, that they believe that Singaporeans have what it takes to work with the Government, with the unions, with the businesses to chart their own future. So, I thank the Member for that affirmation.”
“And we will move forward in the Singapore way with Government, employers and the unions working together to ensure that our AI transformation creates good jobs, clear pathways for every Singaporean worker towards a better future because every worker matters. With this, I rise in support of the Motion. [Applause.] 6.50 pm”
“Each time, each crisis we came through not because the Government had all the answers, but because workers, businesses and Government stood shoulder-to-shoulder. That is the strength of tripartism. In many countries, AI becomes a tug-of-war. Workers on one end, business on the other. Progress contested, trust strained. Singapore does not have to go down that road. We work together to make our entire economic pie bigger and make sure that the benefits are widely shared. To our workers wondering where you stand, there will always be a place for you. Your experience, your judgement, matters more than ever and your commitment to our country, your support through the years, through the decades, we are deeply appreciative. Thank you very much. [Applause.] To all of our young graduates, your ideas, your drive, matters more than ever. Your enthusiasm, your curiosity, that connect, that curiosity that Minister of State Jasmin Lau talked about just now, matters more than ever and we are behind you. For all of our businesses, if you are unsure, you are uncertain as to where to start, you do not have to figure it out alone. We will walk alongside with you. We will help you to transform, will help you to compete so that together you can create better opportunities both for your businesses and for your workers. We will not leave the future of work, the livelihoods of our workers, our Singaporeans, to chance. We will shape a transformation that is inclusive, forward thinking, anchored in real action. Singaporeans will never be helpless passengers to an AI-driven future, but Singaporeans will be our fellow co-pilots as our AI journey takes flight.”