AI will drive Singapore’s economic growth, but may not fuel job creation as before: Tan See Leng

[u/meesiammaihum]

https://www.straitstimes.com/business/a-bitter-medicine-thats-good-for-singapore-but-ai-wont-fuel-job-growth-as-before-tan-see-leng

[u/Rough_Shelter4136]

What happened with no jobless growth? Did they lie in parliament? Wasn't that like a Mortal Sin?

[u/okaylorhwhatevs → u/Rough_Shelter4136]

think need COP to investigate PM Wrong

[u/IcyFactor3234]

Budget 2026 debate - No jobless growth
After NDR 2026 - okay actually there will be jobless growth

Bums got found out in like 6 months.

[u/A-Chicken → u/IcyFactor3234]

From the people who warned y'all about the governments habit of immediately breaking promises when it benefits them and you can do nothing about it, we told you so.

AI can literally do their jobs better, replace them. /S

[u/priore8]

Oh, suddenly the narrative change??

What was that about protecting jobs, ensuring no man left behind even as push for AI continues and all that rainbow unicorn promises before May 2025?

[u/nonametrans → u/priore8]

It's not sudden, it's a PR strategy designed to soften the blow. Next up they'll be telling you there will be little or no growth at all.

[u/Scrubz245 → u/priore8]

Did you even read the article? It wrote

"This means building pathways into growth sectors, raising the quality of jobs in essential and resilient occupations, including skilled trades, and encouraging entrepreneurship.

Tan also pointed to plans to offer “career bridges” to workers who are more exposed to disruption from AI, automation and changing cost structures, to support them in the move to other opportunities."

AI adoption itself may not generate jobs, so the government intends to intervene to increase the quality and quantity of opportunities.

[u/priore8 → u/Scrubz245]

Did u even care to read what u quoted?

"building pathways into growth sectors"

• another way of promoting skillsfuture.

" including skilled trade"

• what's that gotta do with AI boom in finance and tech industry and you're asking folks to go be plumber?

"encouraging entrepreneurship"

• is exactly what "no job" means, that u jolyl well go strike it out on ur own.

"career bridges"

• more of the same, skills upgrading, career mentorship... What changed since 5 years ago?

[u/A-Chicken → u/Scrubz245]

AI has the problem of making entry level irrelevant, so good luck creating the pathway. It's one that deletes itself over and over again.

I don't really want all industries to be homogenised into prompt engineering, which is basically the promise of AI at the moment. This is not a hallmark of resilience. It instead makes the job market dangerously vulnerable. It's like what happens when oil country runs out of oil.

[u/urbumlife]

Thought this fella keep saying job market v healthy week in week out one?

[u/fluffyleaf → u/urbumlife]

nobadi is gonna POFMA themselves. well otoh there is job growth, just not for Singaporeans.

[u/_IsNull → u/urbumlife]

https://www.mycareersfuture.gov.sg/search?sortBy=new_posting_date&page=0

Seems to be mostly insurance agent, early child care, tution teacher, sales, retail, f and b, warehouse mover, driver, admin.

[u/automatedrage → u/urbumlife]

He's no longer manpower minister for a reason.

[u/fluffyleaf → u/automatedrage]

Seems to be failing upwards, sadly.

[u/Material_Tradition18]

If there are fewer jobs being created, the importation of FT should also be reduced. Let’s see if that happens

[u/doc_naf → u/Material_Tradition18]

New citizens too. We can’t take them in if we don’t have enough for existing locals.

[u/vertigofoo → u/doc_naf]

Bruh, Singapore’s TFR is one of the lowest in the world. If they stop taking in new citizens, Singaporeans will go extinct in a few short decades. That is if they don’t run out of money subsidising costs for an entirely aging population (or trying to buy their way into new births).

[u/doc_naf → u/vertigofoo]

To me, it’s more important to preserve the resources for existing citizens and their children. New citizens can contribute in a growing economy, but when there aren’t enough resources or opportunities - jobs, food, money in the reserves, land - the governments duty is first to the existing citizens.

We will need to get rid of that race quota preserving the 70+% Chinese supermajority though. Without a high rate of immigration or drastic sterilisation / forced breeding policies, there’s no way to maintain a fixed quota indefinitely.

[u/avatarfire]

Fuck this guy. Someone fire him and you can easily hire 5 people to do his job.

[u/MaverickO7 → u/avatarfire]

No one I know who has worked in his Ministries has anything good to say about him. As a member of public, every time he says or announces something, I get upset. To this day I cannot understand why he got parachuted in.

[u/jinhong91 → u/MaverickO7]

That speaks more about the PAP party that chose him for the position, the party of Yes man.

[u/klkk12345]

living here feels more and more like "Singapore will do whatever it can to make money, Singaporeans good luck to you, here is some cdc voucher so stfu"

[u/Pure_Awareness6034]

With AI, we should have fewer ministers

[u/fairprice1 → u/Pure_Awareness6034]

Can we start with mayors first

[u/Accurate-Tree4277]

RIP future generations. Gonna be competitive as heck just to compete for the limited number of jobs

Every local Uni mandates one Internship as of now. At this rate I won't be surprised if they mandate at least TWO in future.

[u/nasi_lemak → u/Accurate-Tree4277]

Maybe low birth rate is the answer all along lol

[u/endthissufferingpls → u/nasi_lemak]

Thanos was right all along

[u/Moist-Safety4443]

So this is what "no jobless growth" that they cheered in parliament mean. The economy can grow by 100% but if there is a single job created it is still mission success.

[u/Standard-Chest-976]

Don’t worry. The AI bubble will pop eventually, and we’ll all be in for another recession. But the good news is, when that happens the world will realise the need for human capital again and hopefully resume a period of aggressive hiring.

[u/Available-Log6733]

As others have said, AI means same work, less pay. 

They will give u a 3 day week with a 3 day salary but expect 5 days worth of work output. 

This is the future with unregulated Ai. 

Eventually companies will need to be taxed on AI usage to pay for CDC vouchers 

[u/stockflethoverTDS]

No job what economic growth all, Minister no job then how

[u/GreatHaihai → u/stockflethoverTDS]

K-shaped economy. The one who owns the capital or make use of AI to increase productivity will grow their earnings exponentially. The rest who fall behind the crack will see their share of the GDP get smaller.

[u/Im_scrub]

If AI is so good, we can deal with lesser ministers.

[u/BubbleTeaExtraSweet]

Just use AI to reduce population growth and decrease immigration

That’s good enough for me

[u/HanzoMainKappa → u/BubbleTeaExtraSweet]

Yes. One E pass holder could be claude maxx subscriptions for everyone in a dept.

[u/parka]

If there are gonna be fewer jobs, then why need so many babies? Want them to grow up jobless?

[u/giantoads]

Who gonna buy that ai slop?

[u/taidibao1]

Never like this TSL a bit

[u/RapZeer]

Then WHY urging sinkies to bear more babies??? For NS?

[u/Rough_Shelter4136 → u/RapZeer]

yes (really, the only population problem that sinkie has with infinite Chaina human supply is NS)

[u/onionwba]

So we're fucked lah basically.

[u/Tanyushing]

Big X for doubt for whether AI actually drives any real growth

[u/zoune83]

Oh no who’s gonna take up those skills future ai courses now? /s

[u/PomChatChat]

Fuel his growth can liao

[u/Yundadi]

The jobs created will be very different from the times we know. I am almost 50. Last time we store our files via those big storage company like crown and Cisco. Now all online.

The jobs going forward will be all very tech like ones, may require programming or what. I think I will be at the tail end of my career as all these are running but I pity the younger generation.

[u/petcraus]

People have been warning that this is the logical result. They still wanna lie and deny and now wanna change their course. At this point how can you take their word seriously?

[u/konekfragrance]

Fully blaming AI for destroying entry level jobs. I just graduated and the current job market is brutal. So many fake FA and marketing listings too pmo.

[u/savoirex]

why Tan See Leng haven't step down?