The Redefinition of Work in 2026
The year 2026 finds Singapore at a pivotal juncture. The rapid proliferation of generative and agentic artificial intelligence (AI) has moved beyond novelty and will play an increasingly larger role at workplaces and in our lives.
As tasks, jobs and industries are increasingly being disrupted and transformed by AI, more than ever, uniquely human capabilities—empathy, physical presence, critical thinking and creativity—are becoming more valuable than ever.
Proactive Approach to Protecting our Future Workers
The ongoing transformation of the labour market requires more proactive policies to support all workers.
While the Government invests boldly in AI transformation, we must be equally deliberate in ensuring no one is left behind. Skilled tradespersons who build Singapore with their hands remain the backbone of our economy. Their contributions must continue to be valued, protected, and strengthened in this new era.
We are particularly concerned by a trend where professional roles for new graduates are being curtailed due to an expectation that AI can perform many entry-level functions at a lower cost. This is a self-defeating approach. If our young graduate workers are not able to gain the necessary work experience, we will never develop the reservoir of experienced professionals that our economy requires. Fresh graduates need stronger support to get past the taxiway and onto the runway. We need to give our youths more pathways to attain real experience, confidence, and foundations for the future.
The Workers’ Party proposes targeted, temporary wage subsidies to reduce the risks for firms to hire new graduates in apprenticeship roles. This support will better ensure that our youth are not left behind as industries adapt to technological disruption.
Greater Assurance Through Redundancy Insurance
For all workers, the risk of displacement in a volatile global economy remains a pressing anxiety. Better protection is paramount. The Workers’ Party reiterates its long-standing call for a redundancy insurance scheme. This scheme must extend to all income levels to provide a meaningful cushion against financial pressure.
True security comes from a clear pathway: from redundancy to reskilling and finally to employment. We believe that retraining must be coupled with an assurance that such efforts will translate directly into new, stable jobs. With restructuring exercises and retrenchments increasingly likely, the redundancy insurance scheme provides an automatic stabiliser for the economy, ensuring that workers can sustain their families while they look for new work.
Moreover, if our people do not have such a strong safety net taking care of their basic needs, we cannot expect them to be innovative and risk-taking—the exact qualities we want in such a transformative era.
The Workers’ Party remains committed to offering rational and constructive proposals in Parliament to move our society forward. We envision a Singapore where every contribution is valued and all workers are protected.
#WeContinue forward—together, and with no one left behind. I wish all workers in Singapore a Happy Labour Day.
Pritam Singh
Secretary-General
The Workers’ Party
& MP for Aljunied GRC
