NTUC to commit $37 million to help workers in 2026

SINGAPORE – The labour movement will commit $37 million in 2026 to help workers and their families.

National Trades Union Congress secretary-general Ng Chee Meng announced this in his speech during the May Day Rally on May 1.

Mr Ng said: “The world around us has shifted and has become more unstable than ever – and our workers, blue- and white-collar, are feeling it.”

He added that Singapore is facing two structural shifts: a super-aged society and artificial intelligence disruption.

These forces are hitting at the same time, with geopolitical fragmentation and rising cost pressures, he said.

To help workers and their families, Mr Ng said NTUC and FairPrice Group are delivering $5 million in savings on essentials, with union members getting more through FairPrice Group in-app deals.

There are more than 1.4 million union members, with NTUC aiming to reach 1.5 million by 2030.

Mr Ng said a total of $37 million will be committed to help workers.

This amount goes towards initiatives such as the newly launched NTUC Community Fund to improve educational access for young children and affordable eldercare support for seniors.

It will also support NTUC Care Fund to provide financial assistance to lower-income members and their families. In addition, the amount will go towards the FairPrice Foundation to uplift communities and improve access to nutrition.

It will help Income OrangeAid as well, to assist lower-income families, young people and seniors through financial empowerment, education and community care.

Mr Ng told the 1,600 attendees at the May Day event that the ongoing Middle East conflict is causing significant economic disruption and putting pressure on businesses and jobs.

He also noted the global layoffs that were recently announced by large technology companies like Meta and Microsoft.

These situations create uncertainty for workers, but Singapore’s brand of three-way partnership between the Government, unions and employers can give it an edge in working through challenges, he added.

“Even as we celebrate, we must be clear-eyed,” he said. “While our economy remains resilient, there are dark clouds on the horizon.”

Mr Ng noted that some young graduates are finding it harder to secure jobs and that retrenchments among professionals, managers, executives and technicians, or PMETs, have picked up.

In an NTUC survey, nearly one in five workers said job security was their top concern, he added.

He also said that AI disruption will reshape jobs across sectors, including roles like those of doctors, lawyers and accountants.

“It risks hollowing out the first rung of the career ladder – taking away not only jobs but opportunities for our younger workers to build critical foundational skills,” he said.

“Add global instability, and workers of all collars are now exposed to twin pressures – less job security and higher cost of living.”

But amid these challenges, there are opportunities, Mr Ng said, referring to the Chinese term for crisis, weiji, which incorporates the idea of opportunities and danger.

He noted that previous crises like Covid-19 have created new initiatives such as the NTUC Job Security Council, which has placed more than 100,000 local workers into jobs since 2020.

On April 30, NTUC, the Manpower Ministry and the Singapore National Employers Federation announced the formation of a new tripartite council to upskill workers and help companies redesign jobs and adopt new tools.

“It is our way – Singapore’s way – to make a strong statement of commitment to our workers... that we will be alongside them in the era of AI,” Mr Ng said.

To help workers become AI-ready, the new Tripartite Jobs Council will bring together various agency efforts to provide more tailored guidance for workers.

Specifically, union members will receive funding support for AI tool subscriptions so they can experiment with, learn about and apply AI confidently at work.

NTUC is also expanding its company training committees (CTCs) to uplift more workers, including professionals.

For instance, it is partnering general practitioners to improve productivity in clinics. It is also working with accountants to help them adopt AI tools to reduce manual work, freeing staff to focus on higher-value, analytical work.

Clustering the CTCs and using “queen bee” companies to lead change also has the potential to benefit workers in more than 600 small and medium-sized enterprises, Mr Ng said.

Meanwhile, the Government is supporting companies in job redesign, while the employers’ trade union helps companies in their transformation, among other efforts to help workers.

“Imagine now, dream again, the possibilities if these efforts were integrated and designed around every worker’s needs,” Mr Ng said.

“We will be able to do a lot more to come alongside our workers to support them in critical career transitions.”

This is why collective action is vital, he said, which is exemplified through the Tripartite Jobs Council.

Mr Ng said history shows that when there is great disruption, like in the Industrial Revolution, some workers can be left behind.

“Trust can break down. Societies can fracture. We will never let this happen in Singapore,” he said.

Mr Sanjeev Tiwari, the general-secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees, said the $37 million support commitment will help lower-income families at a time of increased costs due to the current geopolitical situation, which has caused them to have to stretch their dollar.

He said the support could also help them upgrade their skills and go for training.

“It provides them a headstart to capitalise on such opportunities. So it’s (helpful) on both fronts,” added Mr Tiwari, who is also a Nominated MP.

Mr Andy Ang, assistant executive secretary of the Supply Chain Employees’ Union and executive secretary of the National Delivery Champions Association, said that in a time of crisis, young, senior and low-wage workers are most impacted by cost-of-living issues in daily essentials and transport costs.

Welcoming the NTUC support measures, he added: “In times of global crisis, as well as cost-of-living (issues) and AI disruption, I think such funds will be very important, together with other government help and support, to actually help our low-wage workers and more needy families keep up with what is happening.”