Nearly 5 in 10 uncertain that workers will be protected amid new tech era: AsiaOne survey

As Singapore looks to harness frontier technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous vehicles for nation growth, an AsiaOne survey has found that nearly five in 10 people are uncertain if workers will be protected during inevitable job changes .

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had affirmed at the National Day Rally (NDR) 2026 on Aug 23 that the Government will retrain and support affected workers and help them transition into new roles.

"We will ensure that every worker shares in the fruits of Singapore's progress," he added.

AsiaOne polled 1,258 people from Aug 25 to Sept 7 to understand their sentiments towards PM Wong's NDR speech.

Of them, 47 per cent indicated that they are slightly or not confident at all in the Government's ability to protect workers and manage job disruptions caused by new technologies.

Respondents aged 25 to 54, the currently unemployed, and those with personal monthly work income of at least $8,000 were more likely than average to feel this way, according to survey results.

Helping people adapt to economic and job disruptions due to technological advancements was also the top fifth concern (20 per cent) considered by respondents as a key major challenge for the Government in the near term.

Economic-related issues featured prominently among the top perceived challenges, with the cost of living ranked first (28 per cent), followed by job security (24 per cent), healthcare affordability (23 per cent), and managing an ageing population (22 per cent).

Will NDR childcare measures help families?

PM Wong also announced at the NDR a slew of family support measures.

Every Singaporean child will receive $70,000 under a new support package . Costs of pre-school care will be lowered, and working parents will get more childcare leave .

The income ceilings for Build-to-Order flats and Executive Condo units have also been raised, and first-timer families with or expecting children will receive one additional BTO ballot chance.

AsiaOne's audience poll found that nearly seven in 10 people who kept up with PM Wong's speech view the Government's top priority to be helping Singaporeans start and raise families with confidence.

Among the four childcare measures shared by PM Wong, respondents were most likely to believe that more affordable and accessible caregiving options for pre-schoolers and primary school students would be significantly or extremely effective.

Those with young children aged up to 12 were most likely to think so.

The stronger and sustained financial support package and more protected time for parents are the following two childcare measures that respondents chose as significantly or extremely effective.

Moreover, married respondents with no children were less likely to think that the initiatives will be significantly or extremely effective in encouraging Singaporeans to start and raise families.

Financial stability tops reasons for starting family

Delving into the considerations of couples starting their own family, the most common factors are thought to be financial stability (42 per cent) and overall quality of life and upbringing costs (40 per cent).

Financial considerations, namely long-term household financial capacity (42 per cent), remain top of mind among respondents when asked what they thought couples would consider when deciding whether to have three or more children.

However, respondents were more likely to think that couples would consider factors related to caregiving, government support and housing-related issues when they decide whether to have three or more children than when deciding whether to start a family.

Respondents with children are generally more likely to believe that couples consider their personal desire and mindset towards family, caregiving arrangements, personal and marital readiness and work and career alignment when deciding whether to have their first child.

At AsiaOne, communications is both an art and a science. We conduct polls 24/7 to understand our users' perception and opinions towards social issues, as well as their consumer preferences.

Want more insights on Singaporeans' attitudes and perceptions towards social issues? Get in touch! Contact us at sales@asiaone.com to explore opportunities to undertake meaningful research.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com

新加坡正寻求利用人工智能 (AI) 和自动驾驶汽车等前沿技术促进国家发展，但 AsiaOne 的一项调查发现，近五成受访者不确定在不可避免的工作变动中，劳动者的权益是否会得到保障。

黄循财总理在8月23日举行的2026年国庆群众大会上重申，政府将对受影响的工人进行再培训和支持，帮助他们过渡到新的岗位。

“我们将确保每一位劳动者都能分享新加坡进步的成果，”他补充道。

AsiaOne于8月25日至9月7日期间对1258人进行了民意调查，以了解他们对黄之锋总理国庆演讲的看法。

其中，47%的人表示他们对政府保护工人和应对新技术造成的就业中断的能力缺乏信心或完全没有信心。

调查结果显示，年龄在 25 至 54 岁之间的受访者、目前失业者以及每月个人工作收入至少为 8000 美元的人，比一般人更有可能持有这种观点。

帮助人们适应技术进步带来的经济和就业冲击，也是受访者认为政府近期面临的主要挑战之一，位列第五（20%）。

在人们认为面临的最大挑战中，经济相关问题占据了显著位置，其中生活成本排名第一（28%），其次是就业保障（24%）、医疗保健负担能力（23%）以及应对人口老龄化（22%）。

NDR的儿童保育措施能否帮助家庭？

黄之锋总理在国庆大会上还宣布了一系列家庭援助措施。

根据一项新的援助计划，每个新加坡儿童将获得7万新元。学前教育费用将降低，在职父母将获得更多育儿假。

预购组屋和执行共管公寓的收入上限也已提高，首次购房家庭（有子女或即将生育子女）将获得一次额外的预购组屋抽签机会。

AsiaOne 的观众调查发现，在关注黄英贤总理讲话的人中，近七成认为政府的首要任务是帮助新加坡人有信心组建和养育家庭。

在黄循财总理提出的四项儿童保育措施中，受访者最有可能认为，为学龄前儿童和小学生提供更多价格合理、方便易得的保育选择将非常有效。

家有12岁以下幼儿的家长最有可能这么认为。

受访者认为，更有力、更持续的财政支持方案以及为父母提供更多保护的时间，是以下两项儿童保育措施，它们被认为非常有效或极其有效。

此外，已婚但没有孩子的受访者不太可能认为这些举措在鼓励新加坡人组建和养育家庭方面会非常有效。

经济稳定是组建家庭的首要原因。

深入探究夫妇组建家庭的考虑因素，最常见的因素被认为是经济稳定性（42%）和整体生活质量及抚养成本（40%）。

在被问及夫妇在决定是否要生三个或更多孩子时会考虑什么时，受访者最关心的仍然是财务因素，特别是家庭的长期财务能力（42%）。

然而，受访者更有可能认为，夫妻在决定是否要三个或更多孩子时，会考虑与照顾、政府支持和住房相关问题有关的因素，而不是在决定是否组建家庭时。

有孩子的受访者通常更倾向于认为，夫妻在决定是否要第一个孩子时，会考虑他们对家庭的个人愿望和心态、照顾安排、个人和婚姻准备情况以及工作和事业的契合度。

在AsiaOne，沟通既是一门艺术，也是一门科学。我们全天候进行民意调查，以了解用户对社会问题的看法和意见，以及他们的消费偏好。

想更深入了解新加坡人对社会问题的态度和看法吗？请联系我们！请发送邮件至 sales@asiaone.com，探讨开展有意义的研究的机会。

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com