DPM Gan urges workforce to be AI-ready as NTUC charts next phase of transformation

[SINGAPORE] Technological change may hold immense promise for productivity gains, but they also bring about unease.

Therefore, much must be done to ensure workers and firms are not left behind, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Thursday (Nov 13).

DPM Gan, who is also minister for trade and industry, noted that artificial intelligence (AI), automation and digitalisation are transforming industries such as logistics, healthcare, finance and manufacturing.

“(But) workers wonder – will my job still exist? Will I be ready for what comes next?” said DPM Gan at the start of the two-day National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Ordinary Delegates’ Conference. 

The biennial conference serves as a platform for the labour movement to take stock of its progress, and chart strategies for the years ahead.  

The government is one of the three members of Singapore’s tripartite framework, which also comprises the labour movement and Singapore National Employers Federation.

Career readiness

Addressing some 1,400 union leaders, tripartite leaders and guests, DPM Gan said the challenge now is to “ensure that both our workers and our firms can move forward together into the new technological era”. 

Nevertheless, he highlighted efforts by NTUC to respond proactively to this challenge, such as through the upcoming AI-Ready SG initiative, which was first mentioned by NTUC’s secretary-general Ng Chee Meng during the debate on the President’s Address in September.

While more details on the initiative will be announced in 2026, DPM Gan said it will help companies map their transformation journey, identify roles that will undergo change, and equip employees for new and higher-value tasks. 

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Part of this effort also includes NTUC’s recently launched AI Career Coach, which helps workers assess their career readiness, pinpoint skill gaps and explore pathways to reskill or pivot into in-demand roles. 

“This will ensure that both enterprise and workforce transformation can go hand in hand, so that we can move forward together towards better careers and better wages,” said DPM Gan.

And as the profile of the workforce changes, so too must the labour movement, he added.

“Younger workers care deeply about purpose, flexibility and continuous learning,” said DPM Gan, who noted that professionals, managers and executives now make up more than half of employed residents.

“For NTUC to remain truly representative, it must deepen its reach among these groups,” he said.

This, said DPM Gan, means bringing them into the fold, not just as members but as leaders and advocates too. 

That said, he added that work must continue in other areas. 

This includes strengthening support for mid-career workers undergoing transition, protection for platform workers, and navigating new growth areas such as the green economy, digital services and advanced manufacturing.

“A more representative NTUC will not only give voice to a wider range of workers, but also strengthen the foundation of our tripartite partnership,” said DPM Gan. “This will benefit workers, businesses and the government alike.”

In a separate speech by Ng to outline the labour movement’s achievements, he said NTUC has reached more than 1.4 million members this year, and is on track to hit 1.5 million by 2030.

This was up from 1.28 million members in 2023.

He added that the labour movement will be amending its constitution during the conference to welcome platform work associations as full affiliates.

Including platform workers

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, NTUC assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling said updating the labour movement’s constitution is crucial as more workers become self-employed or join platform work.

Yeo – who advises the taxi, private-hire and delivery worker associations – said the amendment would formally recognise platform workers as full union members with voting rights for Central Committee leaders.

A secret ballot on the changes will be held on Friday, with the results known only after the vote.

While the amendment is still pending, she said it is an important step to ensure platform workers’ voices are reflected in union leadership.

“It’s important for us to change the constitution now so that... platform worker representatives can vote,” she said, adding that this would help shape a Central Committee that better reflects this significant and growing segment of the membership.

The term ahead

Earlier in the conference, NTUC president K Thanaletchimi outlined three strategic priorities for the labour movement’s upcoming term.

The first centres on strengthening NTUC’s foundation by staying relevant. 

This includes exploring how initiatives such as its Whole of Integrated NTUC approach – which brings together unions, the Employment and Employability Institute, NTUC Learning Hub and the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute – as well as digital transformation, can be better leveraged.

“Digitalisation is not just a tool – it is the engine that drives engagement, enhances value and attracts new, diverse members,” said Thanaletchimi.

Her second priority is to deepen collaboration with the Job Security Council, to help NTUC engage companies more effectively and secure outcomes that benefit workers, businesses and Singapore.

The third is leadership development. NTUC, she said, must grow its leadership bench and raise the quality of its union leaders so it can position itself as a “key agent of influence in national conversations”.

“We need leaders who can mentor, inspire, and act with unity and purpose to meet the evolving needs of our workforce,” she added.