New structural gaps are appearing in the workforce even as economy continues to grow: Ng Chee Meng

Another growing concern is the delay fresh graduates are facing in getting jobs after graduation, Ng said.

Published Oct 22, 2026, 04:20 PM

Updated Oct 22, 2026, 04:20 PM

SINGAPORE – New structural gaps are appearing in the workforce even as Singapore’s economy continues to do relatively well, said labour chief Ng Chee Meng.

Retrenchment rates have peaked to similar levels as during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the economy grew about 5% a year over the last three years, said Ng, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.

There are many factors behind the retrenchments, which spiked to 4,620 in the second quarter of 2026, and one could be restructuring from artificial intelligence (AI), Ng said on Oct 22.

Another growing concern is the delay fresh graduates are facing in getting jobs after graduation, he added.

In response to this, he urged companies and workers to work with the labour movement to explore AI.

The key question is how to do so, Ng told a group of business leaders and unionists at the launch of a new collaboration between NTUC and professional services firm KPMG held at the NTUC Centre in Marina Bay.

He announced that under the collaboration, the two organisations will establish a programme to help companies with workforce transformation and to adopt AI.

Companies can use two grants – the NTUC company training committee grant and the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package – to pay for its different stages.

There are no limits on the number or kinds of companies which can apply the programme – known as Jumpstart Your Workforce Transformation – although each grant has its own eligibility criteria.

NTUC LearningHub and KPMG have also agreed to develop six courses on AI, including its applications in sustainability and finance.

This collaboration establishes KPMG as the latest of NTUC’s “lead multipliers” – industry leaders working with the labour movement to scale AI adoption .

Others include consulting firm PwC and tech firms Amazon Web Services and Huawei.

NTUC has seen some success with this model, and with its company training committees (CTCs), said Ng.

CTCs 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.

The labour movement plans to scale both schemes, Ng said, as it works to ensure that AI adoption in Singapore does not result in “jobless growth”.

At a fireside chat after his speech with KPMG managing partner Lee Sze Yeng, Ng also outlined how NTUC plans to help workers adapt to AI.

NTUC is working to grow its capabilities to “enable” workers, Ng said, and CTCs are part of this push.

The labour movement is “clear-minded” that there will be some level of disruption to workers from AI adoption, he added.

“We recognise completely that there will be some segments of disrupted sectors of the economy, and therefore there will be major structural changes too, to the workforce,” he said.

In response, NTUC’s largest move must be to prepare the workforce to be relevant to the AI-economy, he said.

It will also help those who cannot do so pivot to other jobs, and to protect those who cannot do either so they can bounce back, he said.

Looking wider, Ng said that Singapore’s education system should also take a fresh look at the skills it is building, in response to a question on how Singaporeans can respond to the speed of technological change in the workplace.

“From primary school, secondary school, all the way to Institutes of Higher Learning, should we rethink how to build agility of mind, to build resilience on top of the current strengths?”

Companies can apply to the new programme from Oct 22.

Speaking to the media at the sidelines of the event, KPMG’s Lee said its role in the collaboration will be to help companies break down job roles, understand tasks involved and where it makes sense to adopt technology and where it does not.

It will also help companies figure out how to help people fill gaps and acquire new skills.

“In the end, it’s really about having a clear roadmap: what companies need to do, what employees need to do,” she said.

Artificial Intelligence

AI/artificial intelligence

吴先生表示，另一个日益令人担忧的问题是应届毕业生毕业后找工作的时间越来越长。

发布于2026年10月22日下午4:20

更新于2026年10月22日下午4:20

新加坡——劳工部长黄志明表示，尽管新加坡经济持续表现相对良好，但劳动力市场中却出现了新的结构性缺口。

吴先生（同时也是总理公署部长）表示，裁员率已达到与新冠疫情期间类似的峰值水平，而过去三年经济每年增长约 5%。

吴先生在 10 月 22 日表示，裁员背后有很多因素，2026 年第二季度裁员人数飙升至 4,620 人，其中一个因素可能是人工智能 (AI) 带来的重组。

他还补充说，另一个日益令人担忧的问题是应届毕业生毕业后找工作的时间越来越长。

对此，他敦促企业和工人与劳工运动合作，探索人工智能。

吴先生在滨海湾NTUC中心举行的NTUC与专业服务公司毕马威（KPMG）新合作启动仪式上，对一群商界领袖和工会成员表示，关键问题是如何做到这一点。

他宣布，根据合作协议，两家机构将建立一个项目，帮助企业进行劳动力转型并采用人工智能。

公司可以使用两项拨款——全国职工总会公司培训委员会拨款和企业劳动力转型计划——来支付其不同阶段的费用。

该计划（名为“启动您的员工队伍转型”）对申请公司的数量或类型没有限制，但每项补助金都有自己的资格标准。

NTUC LearningHub 和 KPMG 也已同意开发六门人工智能课程，包括其在可持续发展和金融领域的应用。

此次合作使毕马威成为全国职工总会（NTUC）最新的“领先倍增器”——与劳工运动合作以扩大人工智能应用规模的行业领导者。

其他参与者包括咨询公司普华永道和科技公司亚马逊网络服务公司和华为。

吴先生表示，全国职工总会（NTUC）通过这种模式及其公司培训委员会（CTC）取得了一些成功。

员工技能培训委员会 (CTC) 将公司的管理层和工会代表聚集在一起，共同探讨随着企业发展，员工需要哪些技能，并规划随后的培训和工作变化。

吴表示，劳工运动计划扩大这两项计划的规模，以确保新加坡采用人工智能不会导致“无就业增长”。

在与毕马威会计师事务所管理合伙人李思勇的炉边谈话中，吴先生在演讲后还概述了全国职工总会计划如何帮助工人适应人工智能。

吴先生表示，全国职工总会正在努力提升自身能力，以“赋能”劳动者，而CTC（员工培训中心）正是这一努力的一部分。

他还补充说，劳工运动“清楚地认识到”，人工智能的普及将对劳动者造成一定程度的干扰。

他说：“我们完全认识到，经济中的某些行业会受到干扰，因此劳动力市场也会出现重大的结构性变化。”

他表示，对此，全国职工总会最重要的举措必须是让劳动力做好准备，以适应人工智能经济。

他还表示，这将帮助那些无法做到这一点的人转向其他工作，并保护那些既不能转向也不能转向的人​​，使他们能够重新振作起来。

吴先生在回答关于新加坡人如何应对职场中技术变革速度的问题时表示，从更广阔的角度来看，新加坡的教育体系也应该重新审视其正在培养的技能。

“从小学、中学到高等学府，我们是否应该重新思考如何培养思维敏捷性，在现有优势的基础上增强韧性？”

企业可从10月22日起申请参与新计划。

在活动间隙接受媒体采访时，毕马威的李表示，毕马威在合作中的作用是帮助企业分解工作角色，了解所涉及的任务，以及在哪些情况下适合采用技术，在哪些情况下不适合采用技术。

它还将帮助企业了解如何帮助人们填补技能缺口并获得新技能。

“归根结底，关键在于要有一个清晰的路线图：公司需要做什么，员工需要做什么，”她说。

人工智能

人工智能