Speech by Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon for the Debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President
Preparing Singaporeans for the future economy
Mr Speaker, Sir, the President’s Address has set out the vision for the next chapter of Singapore’s journey. This includes enhancing assurance at every stage of life as our economy transforms, and enabling long-term employability and protecting our vulnerable.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) supports this vision. We will empower Singaporeans to prepare for the future economy, support our workers through their life stages, and uplift and protect vulnerable workers – leaving no Singaporean behind.
Since the last President’s Address in 2023, MOM has worked hard to create good outcomes for workers and businesses alike, in close collaboration with our tripartite partners.
We launched Career Health SG to empower workers to chart out meaningful and resilient careers. Workers can also reskill into jobs in growth sectors through Career Conversion Programmes.
We supported businesses to transform and remain competitive while providing good jobs for Singaporeans.
We strengthened retirement adequacy for Singaporeans born in 1973 and earlier through the Majulah Package, with CPF top-ups to support their retirement and healthcare needs.
We improved protection for vulnerable groups, such as the Jobseeker Support Scheme (JSS) for those who lost their jobs involuntarily, and uplifted the wages of lower-wage workers through the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). We also legislated stronger safeguards for platform workers through the Platform Workers Act.
We advanced workplace fairness and inclusivity through the Workplace Fairness Act and Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR).
We will continue to be agile and adapt our policies to a rapidly changing world.
Geopolitical tensions and the fraying of the multilateral trading system are disrupting our traditional trade and supply chains. As a small and open economy, our businesses feel these shocks acutely.
Technological changes are accelerating, with significant advancements driven by AI.
Our workforce is evolving too.
By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be 65 or older. This presents challenges, but also opportunities to harness the wisdom and experience of our senior worker.
Our youths are more educated, globally connected and want to chart their own paths. Many desire careers aligned with their passions and values. A National Youth Council survey found that more young Singaporeans wanted “to discover, design, or invent something new”.
Against this backdrop of change, we must press on together with workers and businesses — to learn continuously, adapt, and move forward as one.
MOM will focus on four key thrusts by: empowering Singaporeans to navigate the future of work; supporting career longevity; expanding opportunities for workers and businesses; and ensuring inclusive growth.
Navigating the Future of Work
Let me start with the first thrust on how we are empowering Singaporeans to navigate the future of work. Whether the challenge is demographic, technological or geopolitical, we will support workers to pivot and seize opportunities that emerge from each wave of disruption.
For many Singaporeans, digital disruption – particularly by AI – is top of mind.
Many are excited about the opportunities that AI provides. If leveraged well, these advancements can automate routine tasks and allow workers to take on more fulfilling roles.
On the flipside, many worry about the impact AI might have on their job security.
On our part, the Government will work together with workers and businesses across all levels – at the national, enterprise and individual levels – to strengthen our human capital, so that we can leverage on AI positively.
At the national level, under the Economic Strategy Review and our National AI Strategy, MOM will support our workforce to develop broad-based AI literacy.
At the enterprise level, MOM’s initiatives like the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package (EWTP), which will couple support for business transformation with workforce development, ensuring that technology elevates rather than eliminates workers.
MOM will also work closely with NTUC, SNEF, and unions to redesign jobs, and equip and empower every worker.
At the individual level, we will help Singaporeans build more resilient careers and navigate the AI disruption. To support our national lifelong learning movement and ensure that skills training leads to good job outcomes, MOM launched Career Health SG, a SkillsFuture initiative, in July 2025.
Career Health SG uses AI tools to equip Singaporeans with jobs and skills insights, career guidance, and employment facilitation, matching them to good jobs where their skills are most relevant and valued. It is about realising the potential of Singapore’s most precious resource – our people.
Through digital tools under MyCareersFuture, such as the Careers & Skills Passport and CareersFinder, we help individuals explore more career choices and options, and chart career and skills upgrading plans towards their career aspirations.
Those who want to get started on their career health journey can visit the Career Health SG website, a one-stop portal consolidating the resources available to support Singaporeans and employers.
Beyond digital tools, employed individuals who prefer in-person guidance can receive personalised career support from certified coaches to plan ahead under our Polaris programme.
Jobseekers can also tap on peer-level support from our Volunteer Career Advisors, who offer sector-specific insights and practical guidance based on real-world industry experience.
We will also strengthen the ecosystem of career and employment services to better match jobseekers to jobs, and better match potential to opportunities, even as our labour market grows increasingly diverse and complex.
To achieve this, we need deeper partnership and collaboration with the vibrant network of private sector recruitment and job placement agencies, and online job portals.
We have therefore launched an Alliance for Action on Advancing Career & Employment Services (AfA-ACES) to co-create with industry players innovative solutions to redesign jobs, enhance talent management, and deepen our human capital.
As Singaporeans gain new skills throughout their careers, they also build strong relationships, grow vast networks and hone their leadership skills – these are soft skills that are irreplaceable by technology.
Even as we pursue these longer-term strategies, we recognise the anxieties that Singaporeans face over jobs today, especially from fresh graduates who are entering the workforce.
Even though the employment rate of graduates in the 2025 cohort as of June has increased by 4 percentage points compared to the 2024 cohort at the same time last year, there are significantly more fresh graduates who have been actively looking for jobs.
This increase in active jobseekers – about 1,700 more as compared to 2024 – may have contributed to a stronger sense of job competition among fresh graduates.
Global factors including economic headwinds from increased trade tensions and geopolitical conflicts, as well as growing concerns over AI taking over entry-level jobs could have further amplified the anxieties of fresh graduates.
We have therefore launched the GRaduate Industry Traineeship (GRIT) programme to boost opportunities for fresh graduates, help them gain industry-relevant experience, and facilitate their transition into full-time employment should they face difficulties in their job search.
We will continue to support young workers so that they can start well and progress in their careers.
Supporting Career Longevity and Strengthening Retirement Adequacy
I will now turn to how we are supporting career longevity and strengthening retirement adequacy. As we live longer and the global economy transforms, our lives will no longer follow a linear path of education, work and retirement.
As new industries, jobs and skills emerge, we need to continually upskill and reskill to stay relevant. The healthcare sector is accustomed to this, due to the fast-changing nature of healthcare technology. Other industry sectors are now experiencing a similar increased pace of technological change, faster than what they were used to before, so they must also embrace lifelong learning and continual education. The DNA and mindset of our workers must change.
For seniors, we will make available good opportunities and support them so they can continue working with dignity and security.
We will also explore how to facilitate flexible arrangements at work or short career breaks for those who wish for a better balance between their career aspirations and caregiving needs. These needs are expected to increase as our population ages.
Many seniors have also told me that they do not see work and retirement as all-or-nothing. They want to rightfully reap the rewards of their many years of hard work, by taking a break, travelling the world, having more time with their grandchildren. At the same time, they wish to stay engaged in the workforce and in society, in ways that bring them fulfilment and purpose.
The Government will support Singaporeans in their multi-stage careers and work-life aspirations.
This includes workers with caregiving responsibilities, who will benefit from the TG-FWAR, which outline how employers should handle FWA requests based on business needs.
MOM and our tripartite partners also convened the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment (TWG-SE), which will reimagine ways to support career longevity.
As Co-Chair of this Tripartite Workgroup, I have heard from workers, unions and employers on their aspirations and challenges regarding senior employment.
Those who are dropping out of work in their 50s – years before the retirement age – shared with me that they are unable to balance their caregiving needs or need more support in upskilling to remain competitive.
Employers have also shared their challenges in supporting multi-generational workplaces, which can effectively tap on the experience and expertise of senior workers, whilst combining the energies and skills of the younger generation.
The Tripartite Workgroup is hard at work studying the gaps and challenges faced by different workers and industries, and will update on our recommendations next year.
The TWG-SE has also launched an Alliance for Action (AfA) to partner employers in piloting innovative solutions that help to empower Multi-stage Careers for Mature Workers.
One of our prospective partners is Unilever, who plans to pilot their “Value In Value Up” programme under the AfA. The pilot aims to redesign jobs and train mature workers to integrate AI capabilities into their functional expertise and may subsequently engage these workers in fractional or project-based roles in Unilever. These roles include areas such as streamlining of operational processes and AI research. The pilot meets Unilever’s need for agile talent while providing mature workers with meaningful fractional work opportunities.
Another issue close to the hearts of our seniors and future seniors is whether they have enough for retirement. Our CPF system is designed to help Singaporeans plan and save for this stage of life. It is built on a strong social compact that reflects our values – the belief in shared responsibility. This means individuals taking charge of their own retirement savings, while family, the community and the Government will also come in to provide help for vulnerable groups.
MOM will continue to review and strengthen the CPF system, such that those who work and contribute consistently to their CPF can be assured of meeting their basic retirement needs in their golden years.
This includes raising the Basic Retirement Sum for cohorts beyond 2027, to set aside more savings in CPF LIFE, which will provide lifelong retirement income and peace of mind that comes with this guaranteed income stream.
For those who are unable to save enough despite their best efforts, society as a whole must collectively come in to support them together. We have put in place several measures to strengthen their retirement adequacy:
First, the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme supplements the income and CPF savings of lower-wage workers while they work;
Second, the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme provides a matching grant for top-ups, including from loved ones or others in the community;
Third, the Silver Support Scheme provides targeted help to seniors who have earned low incomes during their working years and now have less in retirement.
With rising costs of living and higher aspirations in retirement lifestyles, we also want to empower Singaporeans to start earlier and plan ahead for their retirement across key milestones in life. In this vein, I encourage everyone to leverage on CPF’s new one-stop financial guidance platform called Plan Life Ahead, Now!, or PLAN, which will support members to make more informed and prudent financial decisions across different life stages.
Mr Speaker, Sir, I will now say a few words in Mandarin.
随着国人的平均寿命延长，有更多的年长员工希望在达成事业目标和照顾家庭之间取得更好的平衡。
员工、工会和雇主同我分享了他们对于年长就业的期许和所面临的挑战。年长员工就业劳资政工作小组 (Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment) 将探讨如何更好地支持员工延长职业生涯，并在明年提出相关建议。
通过熟龄员工多阶段职业生涯行动联盟 (Alliance for Action on Empowering Multi-Stage Careers for Mature Workers), 我们将与雇主合作，试行创新解决方案。
政府、雇主和工会将携手帮助年长员工拥有充实的职业生涯，无论是继续从事现有的工作、采用灵活工作安排、短期职业休整，或是通过学习新技能重新就业。
另一项备受年长者和那些即将步入乐龄的人士所关注的问题是他们的退休储蓄是否充足，足以应对目前生活成本上升的情况。在这方面，我们将继续加强公积金制度，让那些持续缴交公积金的国人，能够在晚年时得到基本的退休保障。
Expanding Opportunities for Workers and Businesses
Sir, let me now go on to the third thrust – on expanding economic opportunity for all, empowering the broad middle of workers to progress in their careers.
For mid-career workers, we are expanding opportunities and pathways towards better jobs.
Our Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) have seen success, with more than 37,000 individuals reskilling into jobs in growth sectors over the last five years. About nine in ten CCP participants have remained employed 24 months after the programme, while six in ten earned more than their last drawn salaries.
Take Mr Wong Kok Sin, who was reskilled through the CCP for Electronics, after being in the industry for more than 20 years.
As the Director for Internal Manufacturing Production at ams-OSRAM, Mr Wong is responsible for strategic planning and process optimisation, as well as mentoring teams and driving operational excellence.
The AI tools he picked up through the CCP allowed him to explore how smart manufacturing and prompt engineering can streamline operations and enhance-decision making, leading to increased productivity.
For those who aspire to climb the corporate ladder, we are expanding opportunities for them to gain critical experience to do so.
In keeping with our position as a global business hub, many businesses have told us that overseas exposure is key for Singaporeans to move into senior roles.
To that end, we will support businesses to send employees with little or no overseas market experience abroad, to gain exposure through the Overseas Markets Immersion Programme (OMIP).
OMIP will complement existing programmes that support overseas posting and leadership development, which we are doubling in capacity.
Since the programme’s launch in November 2024, 70 locals have been emplaced in overseas roles.
This includes three biotechnologists from Lonza Biologics, who were sent to Switzerland. In Switzerland, they worked alongside subject matter experts and gained expertise in plant set-up, troubleshooting and process optimisation – knowledge that strengthened Lonza’s operations in Singapore. This stint has provided them with the international exposure, making them better positioned for leadership roles in future.
MOM will focus on four enablers to grow the economy, help business to thrive and create good jobs in our next bound of growth.
First, transforming our workforce to meet business needs. With rapid technological advancement and geopolitical tensions, many businesses are looking to reorganise their operations, reconfigure their supply chains and redesign jobs. MOM has thus set aside over S$400 million for the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package (EWTP) to spur workforce transformation, through the SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant and the redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit. This will enable workers to upgrade their skillsets and businesses to adapt to the evolving economic landscape.
Second, expanding access to talent from around the world that complements our workforce. Singapore must continue working with and learning from the best, from around the world. Access to global talent also attracts foreign investments and MNCs to grow the economic pie and continue creating good jobs for Singaporeans.
Third, uplifting the human resources (HR) profession. HR plays a critical role in how businesses attract, manage, and develop talent. The Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development will strengthen HR practices and level up human capital capabilities across the economy to maximise workforce potential and support business growth.
Fourth, reducing compliance burden. This includes using the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Pro-Enterprise Rules Review to streamline regulations especially for SMEs, to help businesses remain competitive in a pro-enterprise environment.
Ensuring Inclusive Growth
We will also ensure that our growth is inclusive so that all Singaporeans benefit from the opportunities created.
MOM will work with tripartite partners to raise the bar for safe, fair and inclusive workplaces that provide opportunities for everyone to thrive.
MOM has been working closely with all stakeholders, including sector agencies, employers, unions and workers to raise WSH standards, tackle emerging risks, and reinforce a culture of safety.
We will continue to strengthen these efforts to keep fatal injury rates below 1.0 per 100,000 workers and meet our WSH 2028 target.
We will continue to enhance employment standards and protections for our workers.
Earlier this year, Parliament passed the Workplace Fairness Act, strengthening protection against discrimination. This is a major step forward in assuring workers that they will be treated fairly and based on merit.
We are also undertaking a review of the Employment Act to account for evolving forms of work and the changing labour force profile, including a greater proportion of PMEs. Through the review, we will ensure that protections remain relevant for different groups of workers while streamlining compliance for businesses.
As the future of work continues to unfold, we must address needs of different groups of workers. For example, we now recognise platform workers as a category of workers with their own set of protections via the Platform Workers Act.
The Platform Workers Act, effective January this year, provides work injury compensation, CPF contributions, and a representation framework where platform workers and operators can be represented by Platform Work Associations. In response to concerns raised by platform workers and Platform Work Associations, the Platform Workers Trilateral Group was formed with representatives from MOM, MOT, NTUC and Platform Operators to address illegal activities in the platform sector and enhance transparency in payment and incentive schemes. The 10 recommendations were announced earlier this month.
With increasingly diverse forms of work and work arrangements, we will continue studying how to better support platform workers, self-employed persons, and freelancers in terms of workplace protections, reskilling, and career pathways.
In this world of accelerating change, we will ensure that opportunities remain open to all.
For those who stumble despite their best efforts, we will help them bounce back with confidence.
We have introduced the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme to help displaced workers who are actively searching for jobs to re-enter employment, providing up to $6,000 in temporary support over six months for eligible individuals.
Lower-wage workers will remain a key focus, with MOM pressing on with efforts to uplift and support lower-wage workers amidst our economic transformation.
This includes the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme, which was recently enhanced.
The new Workfare Skills Support (Level up) scheme will provide added support for lower-wage workers to upskill and reskill.
The Progressive Wage Model remains central to raising wages and in creating career pathways that are closely tied to training and skills development.
Together with tripartite partners, MOM is reviewing the next set of wage schedules for all PWMs, covering seven sectors and two occupations.
The Government recently accepted the Tripartite Cluster for Retail’s recommendation of a three-year schedule of sustained wage increase from 1 Sep 2025, along with enhancements to job ladders and training requirements.
These changes will benefit workers like Natasha and Joey, who work at Far East Flora. For Natasha who started as a part-time cashier, the structured increases provide a pathway to financial security, presenting her with an opportunity to progress into management. As for Joey who has spent over a decade in the retail industry, formal supervisor training has improved his job knowledge, giving him confidence that he can continue to advance further.
In addition to the PWM, the Government has introduced and continually reviews the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS), which ensures that local employees are employed meaningfully, rather than on token salaries for firms to gain access to foreign workers.
We will also work to foster multiple pathways to success – including for Singaporeans who are more inclined towards “hands-on” and “heart” jobs.
We will work with tripartite partners, trade associations and our institutions of higher learning to develop more structured pathways for progression in the skilled trades, to better value the essential work of skilled tradespeople.
Embracing the “We-First” Mindset
Mr Speaker, Sir, the challenges ahead are real. But Singapore has never shied away from tough challenges. Time and again, we have adapted, persevered, and emerged stronger.
Our success rests not just on policies or programmes, but on the trust and unity we share.
President and PM spoke about building a “We-First” society — where we look out for each other and put the collective good above narrow interests.
In manpower, this spirit comes to life through tripartism.
We should not take this for granted.
In many countries, workers and employers stand on opposite sides of the table, locked in conflict.
In Singapore, we sit on the same side, seeking win-win outcomes for Singapore.
This has allowed us to uplift wages, strengthen worker protections, and grow businesses all at once, striking a very good balance between all partners.
In an uncertain world, our unity will be our greatest asset. Tripartism is the living expression of our “We-First” mindset and must remain at the heart of our workforce transformation.
As long as we preserve this trust, we can continue creating good jobs and fulfilling careers for Singaporeans.
Together, let us move forward as one people, one nation, and one Singapore – leaving no Singaporean behind.