NTUC grows research network to help workers through AI shifts and workforce transformation

At a glance

• NTUC launched the Associate Researchers Circle (ARC), bringing eight emerging researchers into its work on workers’ issues.
• AI worries are real: employers are hiring fewer entry-level workers, and retrenchments are rising even in growing sectors.
• Through AI-Ready SG, NTUC helps workers train, switch to new roles and stay protected, while working with companies to raise productivity.
• Better research helps NTUC spot problems early and support workers sooner.
• The Singapore Labour Journal turns five, with its biggest issue yet.

NTUC is growing its network of labour researchers so it can better understand the changes workers face and step in earlier to help them.

At the sixth NTUC Labour Research Conference on 1 October 2026, NTUC launched the Associate Researchers Circle @ Labour Alliance co-laB (ARC @ LAB). The new circle brings eight emerging researchers into NTUC’s work on issues that matter to workers.

Together, LAB and ARC will produce research papers and journal articles to broaden and deepen Singapore’s labour research knowledge base.

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng was guest-of-honour. He launched ARC with NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay, NTUC Director of Strategy (Designate) Jean See, and members of the new circle.

The conference, held at the Stephen Riady Auditorium at NTUC Centre, brought together unions, employers, Government representatives, academics and industry representatives to discuss the future of work.

Workers’ worries on AI

Mr Ng said concerns over jobs and careers were becoming increasingly apparent among younger workers and PMEs.

Many workers he had met were worried that AI could displace jobs, affect their career prospects and make it harder for them to support their families.

He pointed to an NTUC survey earlier this year found that employers had cut back on entry-level hiring.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Manpower’s Labour Market Report for Q2 2026 showed retrenchments rising, with the increase concentrated in manufacturing, infocomm technology and financial services. These sectors used to offer strong career prospects.

These concerns, Mr Ng said, “are not imagined fears. They are the lived experiences of fellow Singaporeans.”

On the flip side, AI can be a powerful catalyst for growth. After decades of strong growth, Singapore’s economy has matured to growth of about 1 per cent to 3 per cent. Mr Ng added that new technology could bring new business models, new ways of working and good jobs.

“So yes, I believe AI can grow the economic pie for all of us, even if we have to look at the challenges in transition,” he said.

What’s in it for workers

Mr Ng also said workers were entitled to ask how they would benefit from the productivity and economic gains created by AI.

In his preface to a commemorative booklet for the Singapore Labour Journal, he wrote that Singapore’s AI transition should deliver good jobs growth, with productivity gains translating into better jobs and stronger outcomes for workers.

NTUC is pursuing this through its AI-Ready SG initiative, which focuses on four areas:

• Prepare: training and upskilling that lead to better wages, welfare and work prospects
• Pivot: helping workers move into new roles and nearby industries when their current path narrows or closes
• Protect: standing up for workers hit by changes beyond their control
• Productivity: working with companies to become more productive, because lasting pay rises and good jobs depend on it

The conference also examined how these principles could be applied at the workplace.

In a panel on redesigning work in the age of AI, United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries (UWEEI) General Secretary and NTUC Central Committee Member Tan Richard said workers are not against AI.

What workers want is reskilling while they still have their jobs, not after they lose them, he highlighted. He added that workers also want a fair share of productivity gains through better wages, jobs and career prospects.

Company Training Committees, he added, could help unions and employers build training and job redesign into companies’ business plans from the outset.

Support needed beyond AI transition

Mr Ng said AI was only one of several major workforce challenges facing Singapore.

He highlighted platform workers, caregivers who want to return to work and older workers who wish to remain employed.

These issues reflected three priorities workers increasingly valued, he said: job security, relevant skills and flexible work arrangements.

Mr Ng said tripartism would remain central to addressing these challenges.

The Tripartite Jobs Council, formed in April, brings unions, employers and the Government together to identify opportunities and respond to workforce challenges in an AI-enabled economy.

In May, Mr Ng also moved a Parliamentary Motion on “An AI Transition with No Jobless Growth”.

One of its proposals was to strengthen Singapore's labour market intelligence and foresight so policymakers and the Labour Movement could better understand where jobs were heading based on developments in local workplaces.

Mr Ng said labour research was important to this effort.

“With artificial intelligence reshaping industries and jobs, NTUC is working to deepen our understanding of how these changes affect Singapore’s labour market and workforce,” he said.

Research to identify risks earlier

Research can help NTUC identify emerging workforce problems earlier and better understand workers' experiences, Mr Ng said.

One study presented at the conference examined how autonomous vehicles could affect taxi, private-hire and bus drivers.

Dr Samuel Chng from the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design shared findings from an NTUC-SUTD study involving 818 drivers.

While most were open to technological change, 85 per cent were concerned about job security.

About seven in 10 also said the loss of income while attending training, or a lack of time, prevented them from upskilling.

Dr Chng said a just transition required workers to be prepared early, with clear career pathways, income security and guidance before technological change reduced their options.

NTUC grows pipeline of labour researchers

NTUC launched the Labour Alliance co-laB, or LAB, in 2024 with 50 founding experts.

It has since grown to more than 60 academics, researchers and practitioners from Singapore and overseas.

As of June 2026, LAB had engaged more than 5,000 workers and 1,000 employers through surveys, dialogues and focus groups.

The first ARC cohort comprises eight researchers from institutions including Nanyang Technological University, SUTD, Carnegie Mellon University and Michigan State University.

Each researcher will be mentored by a LAB member, with those who are ready potentially progressing to join LAB.

Mr Ng said NTUC aims to add another five to 10 researchers to ARC each year.

Their research areas include how older workers adapt to workplace change, how AI affects creative workers and how adults acquire new skills.

“The Associate Researchers Circle @ Labour Alliance co-laB is a key step in nurturing a pipeline of labour researchers and experts, while creating opportunities for them to contribute their insights to the Labour Movement in Singapore,” Mr Tay said.

Dr Sarah Chan, a Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at SUTD, is among the first ARC members.

“What excites me most is the chance to bring research closer to workers’ everyday realities, and to turn behavioural insights into real-world change for workers,” she said.

Singapore Labour Journal marks fifth anniversary

The conference also marked the fifth anniversary of the Singapore Labour Journal.

Its fifth volume is the largest to date, with 12 articles covering issues including fair work, job security, skills and flexible work arrangements.

Mr Ng wrote that grounding research in data and workers' experiences could help NTUC anticipate change, identify emerging risks and find ways for workers to adapt and reskill.

Some of the research also offers practical tools for workers.

One article provides a checklist to help workers make stronger flexible work requests, based on a survey of 367 employers about the factors they consider when assessing such requests.

The Singapore Labour Journal has recorded more than 30,000 views over five years.

Closing the conference, Mr Ng said: “Together, we will close the gap between Today’s Hopes and Tomorrow’s Possibilities and contribute to a more inclusive and resilient labour landscape in Singapore.”