More than 1,600 union leaders and tripartite partners gathered at Downtown East on May 1 to hear Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warn that artificial intelligence will reshape industries and speed job disruption. He told the May Day Rally that some roles will disappear, but that the state will back workers through retraining and support. Mr Wong pointed to new investments and a national AI strategy, and urged Singaporeans to learn and use AI tools. The government said it will tighten training, merge two workforce agencies and attract research hubs to spread opportunities.

Rally and the warning

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong used the traditional May Day platform to set a blunt tone on the technological shift. He told delegates at the National Trades Union Congress event that AI will change how work gets done. "We may not be able to protect every job. But we will protect every worker," he said.

Mr Wong said the pace of change will be faster than anything seen before. He described AI agents that go beyond chatbots. He said these agents can plan and execute complex tasks from start to finish. "AI won't just improve productivity. It will disrupt and reshape entire industries," he said.

The audience included union leaders and tripartite partners. The address took place at Downtown East on May 1.

The prime minister framed the speech as both a warning and a pledge of protection.

What the state will do

The government is lining up a mix of policy and institutional moves. At Budget 2026 it announced a National AI Council to steer the country’s agenda.

Mr Wong said the council's aims include building deep AI capability, accelerating adoption, and making Singapore an AI innovation hub.

He said the strategy will also try to make sure workers benefit. The state wants AI to create better roles and new opportunities. To that end, Mr Wong said authorities will take "deliberate steps" so the benefits are shared broadly.

Mastheads

One specific change he named is an overhaul of workforce agencies. The government plans to merge Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore into a new single entity. Mr Wong said the move is part of efforts to strengthen SkillsFuture and to provide clearer, joined-up pathways for workers to retrain and redeploy.

He urged Singaporeans to use the tools that the state will provide. "The government will provide the tools, the pathways, and the support," he said. He also called on workers to step forward and learn the new technologies rather than be held back by anxiety.

Industry shifts and investment

Mr Wong used concrete examples to show how the strategy is already drawing industry activity. He highlighted multinational and start-up investments that have scaled up AI work in Singapore. Google has established its first Southeast Asia AI research hub in the Republic, he said. That hub brings international researchers together with local teams on cutting-edge projects.

He also cited smaller firms. He mentioned Advanced Machine Intelligence, which has set Singapore as its Asian base among its global offices. The prime minister used those cases to argue that an expanding AI ecosystem will create more openings for local workers.

Banks and large employers also got a mention. Mr Wong pointed to DBS as an example of a company that began investing in AI over a decade ago. He said the bank is training its staff to use AI tools and to develop in-house AI solutions to support their work. The point was twofold: companies are already changing how they operate, and training inside firms can lift worker capability.

Addressing worker anxiety

Mr Wong acknowledged the human side of the shift. He said many Singaporeans are anxious. They worry jobs will be replaced. They worry about keeping up. The group worry whether the next generation will find good opportunities.

He drew a parallel to an earlier technological change. When he began work in the mid-1990s, he said, spreadsheets like Excel reduced the need for data entry clerks. But demand grew for accountants and analysts who could use the new tools to create higher-value work. He used the example to show how transitions can shift jobs rather than simply eliminate them.

At the same time, he warned the scale will be larger. "AI is far more powerful than spreadsheets," he said. He asked workers to embrace the technology, learn it, use it and master it. The government will offer the support, he said, but individuals must take the opportunity to upskill.

The plan the prime minister outlined links investment, employer action and public training. Attracting research centres and start-ups is meant to raise local demand for talent. Employers that embed AI tools can increase productivity and create new roles that require higher skills. Public programmes aim to give workers the routes into those roles.

DBS's example shows how employers can retrain staff internally. The merged workforce body is meant to make public training more focused and better aligned with employer needs. Mr Wong argued that a joined-up approach will expand opportunities for Singaporeans as investments rise.

He didn't promise that every specific job will be preserved. Instead, he promised support for every worker. That distinction framed the government's response as one of transition management: accept that roles will shift, organise training and assistance, and try to channel workers into the new jobs that appear.

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Mr Wong said the government will merge Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture into one agency to create clearer retraining pathways for workers.

This article was created with AI assistance.