NTUC, KPMG ink partnership to help companies adopt AI and create better jobs

[SINGAPORE] The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and professional services firm KPMG will launch a workforce transformation programme to help companies turn artificial intelligence adoption into business value and better jobs.

A memorandum of understanding was signed on Thursday (Oct 22), with NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng and KPMG Singapore managing partner Lee Sze Yeng in attendance.

“As AI reshapes jobs and workplaces, NTUC is taking action to ensure that workers, including PMEs (professionals, managers and executives), can adapt and benefit from new opportunities,” Ng said.

He said companies should look beyond individual productivity gains and consider how AI could create new business opportunities and transform existing business models.

The initiative is the first programme to enable companies to tap both the NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant and the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package (EWTP) at different stages of their transformation journey.

The CTC Grant co-funds up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs for training and projects aimed at raising productivity, redesigning jobs and improving workers’ career prospects.

Under the EWTP, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can receive up to 70 per cent co-funding and non-SMEs up to 50 per cent, capped at S$150,000 per enterprise. The funding covers workforce consultancy, capability building and workforce technology solutions. 

The partnership combines both grants to help companies move from planning to implementation, equip workers with relevant skills and redesign jobs amid AI-driven changes.

Lee said: “For a small, open economy like Singapore, our people have always been our edge. AI doesn’t change that. It makes it matter even more.”

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She added that KPMG would help companies identify AI opportunities, assess workforce skills needs and develop better jobs and learning pathways. 

KPMG will also share its insights and expertise to build capabilities and disseminate best practices, helping companies realise value from their AI investments.

Separately, NTUC LearningHub and KPMG will launch six capability-building courses covering AI transformation, sustainability and finance. The collaboration has also produced two one-day courses on leading AI transformation.

“For most people, the question is no longer whether AI will change their jobs, but how – and whether they will be ready. They want to know what will change, which skills to build and where their next role could be,” Lee added.

“We aim to equip businesses with the insights and capabilities to build this workforce – understanding the skills needed, reshaping roles and preparing leaders to guide the change.”