Budget 2026 debate: Desmond Choo on new industrial policy for entry-level jobs

Singapore risks facing a “missing middle” future, with powerful algorithms, a thin layer of senior experts and too few local managers and specialists in between. That would not just be an economic problem - it would be a social one. Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo issued this warning in parliament on Wednesday (Feb 25), saying the solution to the “broken rung” is not to repair it but to create a new one. He stressed the need for a new industrial policy for entry-level jobs - by redefining what it means to be "entry-level". He outlined a three-pronged approach - incentivise firms to convert traditional execution roles into structured apprenticeships with core elements of AI oversight or integration, equip students for semi-senior responsibilities at the start of their working lives, and accelerate reskilling timelines. Mr Choo stressed the need to act now to build a workforce where entry-level workers are architects of their future, supported by technology.