6 May 2026 

The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) supports both the formation of the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA)  and  the  motion on “An Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transition with  No Jobless Growth”. These are timely and important moves to strengthen Singapore’s workforce and enterprise resilience amid the rapid and far-reaching impact of AI on jobs, businesses and the economy.   

2 By  bringing  skills development, career guidance and job matching into a more coordinated job-skills ecosystem under SWDA, employers would benefit from stronger coordination in workforce planning, job redesign, skills training and job placement support. SNEF looks forward to working closely with SWDA to develop sector-specific solutions to ensure workforce transformation efforts remain practical and grounded.  

3 SNEF recognises the importance of enabling businesses to adopt AI while supporting workers through the transition. Thus,  SNEF  is fully committed to working with NTUC and the Government through the Tripartite Jobs Council (TJC) to provide coordinated support for employers to transform confidently with AI while bringing workers along so that AI adoption strengthens business competitiveness and creates better jobs. This could include building on NTUC’s Company Training Committees and the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package administered by SNEF, as well as providing businesses with more seamless navigation of the available support schemes.  

4 To build capability at scale, SNEF supports the call by Nominated Member of Parliament Mr Mark Lee for targeted flexibility to bring in specialised AI expertise beyond existing manpower constraints on a time-limited basis. This will help companies to accelerate transformation, transfer capabilities and grow the local pipeline. To better support SMEs, SNEF would also look at how we can mobilise the employer community and work more closely with the Trade Associations and Chambers, professional bodies and industry partners to translate AI strategies into practical workforce solutions for employers.   

5 While SNEF acknowledges concerns over worker displacement arising from AI and economic restructuring, it is crucial that Singapore preserves an environment that continues to encourage enterprise transformation, innovation and investment. Overly prescriptive regulations in response to AI could unintentionally reduce the potential for AI to improve productivity and ultimately wages. In particular, we should avoid measures that may inadvertently increase operational costs or reduce the flexibility organisations require to adapt and restructure responsibly. As AI adoption involves experimentation, there could also be reasonable allowance for failure to help companies move decisively forward with AI adoption.    

6 Ultimately, Singapore’s strength lies in our tripartite model. The challenges posed by AI cannot be addressed by any single stakeholder alone. SNEF will continue to partner NTUC and the Government to ensure that as our economy transforms, businesses adapt with confidence and workers are supported through change. Our shared goals will continue to be thriving businesses and good job creation with better opportunities for all.  

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About Singapore National Employers Federation
The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) is a trade union of employers. Our mission is to advance tripartism and enhance labour market flexibility to enable employers to implement responsible employment practices for sustainable growth. SNEF has a membership of more than 4,000 companies with around 900,000 employees.