MPs suggest ideas to embrace AI and improve job support on last day of President's Address debate
Workers’ Party MP Kenneth Tiong's speech about regional collaboration drew several rounds of clarification from fellow new face Foo Cexiang from the People’s Action Party.
Office workers walking on the streets of the Central Business District. (File photo: iStock/3yephotography)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament on Friday (Sep 26) spoke again on the hot-button topics of artificial intelligence and job support in the service of boosting Singapore’s economy, as the debate on the President’s Address drew to a close.
On the last day of a five-day debate, 13 parliamentarians – including four political office holders – spoke for over five hours in response to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s speech on a “we first” society earlier this month.
Among the political office holders who spoke on Friday, Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling also addressed the issue of more accessible housing for all Singaporeans.
Ms Sun pointed out that an inter-agency BTO (Build-to-Order) Coordination Committee was set up last year to study the experience of residents in new large-scale BTO estates such as Punggol and Tengah.
The committee is exploring, among other things, having more sheltered linkways; having childcare services start sooner after the first residents move into new estates; and having more food options for those residents.
Friday’s debate kicked off with MP Poh Li San (PAP-Sembawang) noting that many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) want to transform their businesses but are not familiar with AI tools and do not have the funds to hire consultants.
She proposed that the government provide funding to train young people to use AI tools that will help businesses to reduce costs, automate work processes and increase their marketing efforts.
These AI “change agents” could undertake project-based assignments to help companies, she added.
For example, they could introduce and customise AI tools for one company and then move on to help other companies, or they could be hired in-house if companies find them “valuable”.
She also proposed an AI traineeship, starting with a small group of 1,000 jobseekers trained to master AI tools in two to four weeks. These individuals can then be matched to SMEs who are keen to automate their business processes, said Ms Poh.
Enterprise Singapore (ESG) could work with businesses to look for companies that are keen to join the programme, she added, suggesting that the statutory board could subsidise 70 to 80 per cent of the salaries for these AI “change agents” for up to six months.
“And if the companies decide to convert them to become permanent staff, then ESG could fund 50 to 60 per cent of their salaries, or up to a year.”
MP and deputy secretary-general of the National Trade Union Congress Desmond Tan (PAP-Pasir Ris-Changi) called on employers to invest in older workers: “Do not choose between AI and age. Choose both.”
He also asked the government to continue supporting NTUC, especially in its AI Ready SG movement, which was announced by the labour movement’s secretary-general Ng Chee Meng on Monday.
“To our senior workers, let’s be bold to embrace technology and AI, and apply ourselves so that we can be ready for the new AI economy,” said Mr Tan, who is also Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office
ENHANCED JOB SUPPORT
Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai outlined three strategies to build a strong transport system in Singapore – resilience, technology and people.
The government will enhance its ageing infrastructure to make the system robust and flexible, he said. This will meet the needs of Singapore’s population, which is increasing in volume and complexity.
It will also seize opportunities from new technologies while safeguarding against cybersecurity risks and continue to build a professional and adaptive transport workforce, said Mr Murali.
This workforce is the “only real piece” in the transport landscape that can ensure Singapore’s system remains fit for purpose “well into the future”.
NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay was among the parliamentarians who called for more support for workers, including through the expansion of various schemes and a workgroup to deal with AI’s impact on workers.
Mr Tay (PAP-Pioneer) said the Employment Act should cover more professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) by raising both the salary caps of workmen and non-workmen. It should also provide more clarity on transfers that impact workers affected by company transitions, and require employers to give explicit reasons for termination on the request of the employee.
Supporting Singaporeans, strengthening the Singaporean core and building a "skills first" Singapore. These are the three key priorities MP Patrick Tay highlighted in parliament on Friday (Sep 26) for the next bound of Singapore’s workforce development. He said these priorities - “for all to train up to keep up and scale up to move up” - mean honouring workers and committing to help them earn a better living and live a better life.
Mr Tay said it was "timely" to review Singapore’s Continuing Education and Training (CET) framework to prioritise skills and competencies over paper qualification.
"A Skills-First Economy ... holds powerful potential for the inclusion of non-traditional learners who acquired skills through experience and expanding individuals’ career pathways beyond the scope of their formal qualifications," he added.
As part of this, career conversion programmes should be expanded to cover more sectors to become more relevant to PMEs.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa (PAP-Bukit Panjang) then raised suggestions on how to match jobs better, especially for senior professional, manager, executive and technician roles.
Other than offering career advice, help with resumes and career preparation, job counsellors can also show jobseekers how to put forward their candidacy more effectively and directly to companies, he added.
HR managers and HR search firms are “critical conduits” and must be similarly aligned in giving candidates outside their network a chance, said Mr Liang.
He reiterated his suggestion that the job advertising requirements under the Fair Consideration Framework be increased from the current 14 days to 28 days, to allow companies “sufficient time” to consider all candidates fairly.
For decades, Singapore’s prosperity has been built on attracting foreign direct investment - a model that served it well in a world of free trade. However, in a new era of geopolitical blocs and strategic industries, this dependence is a vulnerability, said MP Kenneth Tiong. He believes one of the most important economic questions for Singapore today is what it will take to build inherent capacity - a rooted, high-value, local base of companies and industries. Mr Tiong called for Singapore to champion the creation of new Airbus-style commercial consortiums with willing regional partners. Each of these, like Airbus, could become the principal client and industrial anchor for an entire ecosystem of SMEs. There would also have to be safeguards to make sure value flows down the value chain. Mr Tiong said the strategy should be modular, with the private sector increasingly taking over to scale up. He noted that the government would have to build inherent capacity and shape markets, but know when to step back and not compete directly with Singapore’s own SMEs. He spoke in parliament on Friday (Sep 26).
REGIONAL COLLABORATION
Elsewhere, opposition MP Kenneth Tiong (WP-Aljunied) spoke about the need for Singapore to collaborate with other Southeast Asian nations for greater economic integration, using aviation firm Airbus as an example.
Airbus was founded in 1970 as a transnational industrial consortium to preserve the aviation industries of Germany, France and the UK in the face of American giants’ domination of the civil aviation market.
Mr Tiong said Singapore should champion the creation of new "Airbus-style" commercial consortiums with willing partners.
“In the 21st century, this need not be a bloated, state-owned enterprise, but rather the principal client and industrial anchor for an entire ecosystem of SMEs.”
He said that in this regard, the state must not compete directly with SMEs.
“Too many local entrepreneurs tell me that once they reach a certain size, their biggest competitor is the Singaporean state and those linked to it.
"For too long, the state's ambition has turned inward, often leading it to compete directly with our own SMEs. No more. Its role must be redefined - the greatest enabler of our local enterprises - and not their competitor."
Mr Tiong's comments prompted a few rounds of clarifications from MP Foo Cexiang (PAP-Tanjong Pagar).
Mr Foo asked which sector Mr Tiong had in mind where the government could play an important role in developing the SME ecosystem without crowding them out. Mr Tiong pointed to healthcare and semiconductors as possible examples.
Mr Foo then asked what countries or governments Singapore should partner. Mr Tiong referred back to his speech, where he had mentioned a Malaysian entity.
"I say that's one possible direction regarding semiconductors. But of course, I don't want to be overly prescriptive about the nature of the industry. I think there are many potential areas that could be developed.
"But a general principle is that this is a policy instrument that I do not believe this government has ever considered, or rather it has considered once in the 1980s and I do believe it should be revived again."
In response, Mr Foo asked if there were regional governments that could partner Singapore "meaningfully" in such endeavours, factoring in their resources, manpower and skills.
Mr Tiong said there were many sources of industrial strength in the region, such as Vietnam, in manufacturing.
"As I said, I think this government has a prerogative to decide what these areas should be and to see how best to develop these. But certainly I don't want to be overly prescriptive in what it could be," he added.
