Ng Chee Meng to ask Parliament to affirm no ‘jobless growth’ amid AI; MPs query bullying review

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng will ask Parliament to affirm that Singapore must not have jobless growth amid AI disruption, and is expected to detail NTUC’s plans to help workers through this transition.

He is scheduled to move a motion on this during May’s Parliament sitting that starts on May 5.

Also on the agenda is the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) review of bullying in schools. MPs have raised 23 questions on it, according to the order paper released on May 4.

Recommendations, including committing additional resources to the issue and improving the accessibility of reporting channels, were released by MOE in April. It also recommended stricter, standardised disciplinary measures, including caning for serious cases.

Several MPs, including the Workers’ Party’s Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) and Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong Central), have asked how MOE will track the effectiveness of its recommendations and what indicators it will use to do so.

Mr Ng’s motion, titled An Artificial Intelligence Transition With No Jobless Growth, will ask Parliament to affirm that economic progress must remain inclusive, and for it to resolve to equip and support workers and enterprises to “seize new opportunities and advance together”.

Three other MPs have supported his motion: labour MP Yeo Wan Ling (Punggol GRC); Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Finance and Trade and Industry; and Nominated MP Mark Lee, a business leader.

The motion will also ask Parliament to “recognise the transformative power of new technologies”, especially AI, “to drive Singapore’s next phase of economic development”. It asks that the House emphasise that Singapore’s approach to AI-enabled growth must be “anchored in fairness, resilience, and opportunity for all”.

It comes on the back of the May Day Rally on May 1, where Mr Ng and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong outlined commitments to help workers through the coming disruption.

PM Wong said then that as AI disrupts entire industries, the Government may not be able to protect every job – but it will protect every worker. He added that Mr Ng will set out NTUC’s plans to help workers in Parliament this week, and the Government “will support this important work”.

Meanwhile, Mr Ng, who is also the MP for Jalan Kayu, said in a speech preceding PM Wong’s that union members will receive funding support for AI tool subscriptions so they can experiment with such tools at work. He added that a new Tripartite Jobs Council will bring together various agency efforts to provide more tailored guidance for workers.

The council was announced a day before the rally on April 30. It comprises the National Trades Union Congress, the Manpower Ministry and the Singapore National Employers Federation.

Six Bills are also on the agenda, including laws providing for the merger of two government agencies responsible for skills development.

Parliament will also debate a Bill that will allow owners of Singtel special discounted shares – discounted shares purchased through the Central Provident Fund as part of a scheme to give Singaporeans a greater stake in economic growth in the 1990s – to manage them directly.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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