不好惊!! Chee Meng Sama coming to 救万民于火as AI is triggering unprecedented changes in Job Market de woh

[k1976]

Ng Chee Meng’s Cabinet return gives workers a stronger voice amid AI disruption, say union leaders​

Ng Wei Kai
Updated Fri, 24 July 2026 at 5:00 AM SGT
5 min read
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Labour chief Ng Chee Meng's appointment as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office takes effect from July 27.
SINGAPORE – Workers will have a stronger voice at the national decision-making table as they face AI-driven job disruption, following labour chief Ng Chee Meng's return to Cabinet, said unionists.

Ng's appointment as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office – which takes effect from July 27 – marks an end to six years without an NTUC secretary-general in Cabinet.

The timing of his return is crucial, said union leaders, as the labour movement prepares to take the workforce through unprecedented job changes due in part to artificial intelligence.

 

[k1976]

"I've never seen such a transformative period in my entire working life," said National Trades Union Congress president K. Thanaletchimi, adding that many workers fear AI will replace them.


Singapore Teachers' Union general secretary and NTUC central committee member Mike Thiruman said this is the first technological wave to hit professionals, managers and executives earlier and harder than blue-collar workers.

"Now we are at the forefront of it, and it's happening across the board to everyone, and the anxiety level is high," he said, adding that Singapore is now at a critical juncture for AI-led transformation in the workplace and of the workforce.

It is in this climate that Ng is returning to the Cabinet, and union leaders said having a seat at the table will allow him to insert workers' voices directly into the national policy and strategy tackling this disruption.

 

[k1976]

The labour chief has traditionally held a Cabinet seat as a minister in the Prime Minister's Office since 1980, when Lim Chee Onn was appointed to the Cabinet.

Ng vacated the seat after he lost the contest for Sengkang GRC in the 2020 General Election, but returned to Parliament after the polls in May 2025.

He initially asked not to be assigned any position in government so he could focus on his duties as MP for Jalan Kayu and his role as labour chief.

On July 22, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong brought him back into the Cabinet as part of a reshuffle, about 14 months after Ng's re-election. PM Wong said he felt it was timely for Ng to return to government, given that jobs and workforce transformation have "become a much higher priority".

 

[k1976]

AI is reshaping entry-level jobs – but the upheaval was happening before this​

Fresh graduates are losing opportunities for ‘learning work’

Summarise



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• 
  
  

• The issue is not a shortage of jobs in Singapore; the bar for securing one has quietly moved higher. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT

Kyla Lee​

Published Fri, Jul 24, 2026 · 07:00 AM
[SINGAPORE] Singapore’s job market looks healthy. Employment is rising, unemployment sits at 2 per cent, and nearly 1.5 job vacancies still exist for every jobseeker.

Yet, ask any recent graduate and you will hear the same complaint: Getting started feels harder than the numbers suggest.

Skill requirements in Singapore are now changing roughly 2.4 times faster than in the US, and entry-level roles churn fastest of all. The issue is not a shortage of jobs; the bar for securing one has quietly moved higher.

 

[k1976]

Nearly 50% of Singapore employees fear job loss as AI & cost-cutting concerns grow: Report​

• 
  YOGANEETHA SIVAKUMAR
• 10 JUL 2026

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More than a third of workers also work from the office five days a week, double the global average​

Nearly half of employees in Singapore expect their jobs to be affected by restructuring, automation or cost-cutting measures in 2026, according to Morgan McKinley’s latest 2026 Workplace Trends Report.

At 49%, the figure is significantly higher than the global average of 37%.

The finding comes amid growing uncertainty in Singapore’s labour market.

While overall employment has continued to grow, larger employers have become increasingly cautious about hiring, with more planning to reduce headcount this year. Recent Ministry of Manpower data also showed retrenchments climbed to their highest quarterly level since 2023, while job vacancies declined.

How are employees responding?​

While Morgan McKinley did not provide Singapore-specific figures for how employees are responding to job insecurity, the global findings suggest many workers are already taking steps to future-proof their careers.

 

[k1976]

Massive Big Big wave incoming?

 

[k1976]

Degree holders may need to rethink job security assumptions as retrenchment patterns shift, say experts​

"The traditional route that Singaporeans are being educated on is you study hard, get a good degree, and then you are able to get a job," says a retrenched tech worker.

Office workers at Raffles Place in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)



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Davina Tham
23 Jun 2026 06:00AM (Updated: 24 Jun 2026 11:44PM)
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Read a summary of this article on FAST.


FAST
SINGAPORE: For 46-year-old Steven Neo, losing his job as a senior programme manager at a global tech giant was more than a financial shock – it was a profound loss of an identity that he tied to his work.

“As a dad in an Asian community, I think there are a lot of societal expectations of what a guy and a dad should be as a breadwinner,” he said, adding that he got through the initial grief at his retrenchment with the help of his wife and young daughter.

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Like most Singaporeans, he had been conditioned to follow a traditional script.

“The traditional route that Singaporeans are being educated on is you study hard, get a good degree, and then you are able to get a job,” said Mr Neo, who has a bachelor’s degree in information systems and a master's degree in business administration.



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So when told in mid-2025 that he was being laid off, Mr Neo was stunned because of the lifetime of education and effort that had gone into his 25-year career.

Mr Neo’s experience embodies a shift observed in retrenchment trends in recent years that is challenging long-held expectations about what gives a worker job security, said experts speaking to CNA.

In the latest quarterly market data, degree holders experienced a sharply higher retrenchment incidence, rising from 2.6 to 3.1 retrenched per 1,000 resident employees – higher than those with lower educational qualifications.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said this figure from the first quarter of 2026 suggests that company restructuring remains concentrated among higher-educated workers, reflecting ongoing restructuring in professional and knowledge-intensive sectors.

Older workers in their 50s also faced a higher retrenchment incidence, rising from 2.8 to 3.1 retrenched per 1,000 resident employees – topping all age groups.

Steven Neo, who lost his job at a global tech firm in 2025, has written two books about his experience with retrenchment and unemployment. (Photo: Steven Neo)

WHAT MAKES A JOB SECURE?​

The shifts in retrenchment incidence indicate that traditional ideas that higher qualifications and more seniority lead to job security may no longer hold true in the evolving jobs landscape.

Retrenchment data has actually been consistent over time, in that more educated, higher-skilled workers and older workers have generally been at higher risk of retrenchment in recent years, said Associate Professor Walter Theseira of the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

The labour economist pointed out that retrenchment happens when organisations have excess staff for their business needs, and does not happen when they struggle to hire and maintain staff.

In Singapore, it is lower-skilled jobs for which organisations struggle to hire and maintain workers. This is because the job conditions are seen as relatively poor and Singaporeans tend not to be keen on them, he said.

"A job that people want is going to have higher retrenchments, compared to jobs that people do not want," said Assoc Prof Theseira.

"So we may have secure jobs or careers that people do not want (for other reasons including poor pay, prospects, difficult work), and insecure jobs or careers (with high pay and prospects as long as the industry is expanding) that people want."

He pointed to the recent example of higher pay and sign-on bonuses for bus captains: “Bus operators are struggling to recruit drivers, but that's because the working conditions are challenging.”

 

[k1976]

SG current job market feels brutal’: Singaporean applicant with S$3.5k salary expectations says he’s losing hope after 8 months of job hunting​

ByYoko Nicole
May 6, 2026

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SINGAPORE: A Singaporean jobseeker has shared online that he feels rather “hopeless” after being unable to secure a job despite lowering his salary expectations to around S$3,000 to S$3,500.

GeographicReference


Posting on the forum “singaporejobs” on Monday (May 4), the 26-year-old described the job market in the city-state as “brutal.”


“I’ve been unemployed for eight months and counting, and each day feels more hopeless than the last,” he said. “Seeing friends my age progressing in their careers also makes me feel very left behind.”

For context, he shared that after graduating from Kaplan, he initially took up a retail job out of necessity as he needed an income. However, the long 56-hour work week soon took a toll on him both physically and mentally, eventually leading him to resign.

Things eventually took a turn for the better when he secured a tech role at a Fortune 500 company, which felt more aligned with the career direction he had been aiming for.

For the first time in a long while, he felt he could finally breathe and begin rebuilding his confidence.

Unfortunately, that stability was short-lived.

According to him, shortly after receiving an email congratulating him for “passing probation,” he was abruptly informed that he had been laid off.

In total, he remained in the role for just five months.

Since then, he said each passing month without employment has gradually eroded his confidence and sense of optimism.

“It lowkey feels hopeless for me to even land something and stay there for long enough my resume doesn’t come across as ‘job hopper,’” he said. “I’m at the point where I have to take a part-time job to tide me over so I don’t dip into my very small investments.”

Jobs


At present, the only thing offering him some relief is the fact that he still lives with his parents and has no major financial commitments.

“It’s a godsend,” he wrote candidly, before adding, “but some days I just want to scream into the void.”

“Don’t lose hope, don’t compare with others.”​

His post resonated with many online, particularly other young Singaporeans who said they are facing similar struggles in today’s highly competitive job market.

SoutheastAsians & Pacific Islanders


The most upvoted comment read, “It’s really bad. Can’t even get a job in public healthcare office roles.”

Another commented, “I just got retrenched at the end of last year too. Until now, nothing yet. The market is brutal. Stay strong, bro.”

A third shared, “You are still not the worst around. My girlfriend got retrenched at the end of Dec 2024 and is still unemployed now… [She had] a handful (I think 4-6) interviews for last year. For this year, she only has had 2 interviews.”

Still, amid the frustration and gloomy outlook, some commenters tried to encourage the man not to give up.

One older Singaporean offered a more hopeful perspective, writing, “I’ve been jobless for 19 months, and I am 50+ years old. You will most probably get a job before me. Chin up my friend, you’re only 26 and have a whole career ahead of you.”

Another commenter reminded him not to measure his progress against others. “Don’t lose hope, don’t compare with others. You are still young, and situations can change. Don’t stop upskilling. Are you an extrovert or introvert? Learn to network with people to create new opportunities.”

In other news, a Singaporean Threads user who tried to call out two national servicemen on the MRT has instead found himself at the centre of online criticism, after his post struck a nerve with many who felt the men were unfairly singled out.

GeographicReference


In a post published on Tuesday (March 28), the user, who goes by the handle “chefphotodan,” shared a photo taken inside a crowded train carriage.

 

[k1976]

SG current job market feels brutal’: Singaporean applicant with S$3.5k salary expectations says he’s losing hope after 8 months of job hunting​

ByYoko Nicole
May 6, 2026

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