BUSINESSES must plan for their workers at the same time as they transform their operations, rather than leave workforce issues to human resources departments after major decisions have been made, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said today.
He said companies should consider how jobs would change, what new skills would be required and how existing workers could be equipped to take on better roles.
“This push for businesses and workers to transform together is one of three important shifts” Singapore must make to deliver better outcomes for workers and businesses, Wong said.
The other two are to connect learning more closely with jobs and careers, and to make the skills and employment support system easier to navigate.
Speaking at the launch of the annual SkillsFuture Festival at the Lifelong Learning Institute, Wong said businesses already understood the need to keep changing to remain competitive, whether by adopting new technology, improving processes or refreshing their business models.
“But too often, the workforce dimension comes later and is treated as a matter to be dealt with by the HR manager after business decisions have already been made. ‘That is far too late,’” ST reported him saying today.
“When companies transform, they must think about their people at the same time. How will jobs change? What new skills will be needed. How can existing workers be equipped to take on new and better jobs?”
“These questions cannot be an afterthought,” Wong said.
“Our workers cannot be an afterthought in business transformation. When a company transforms, its workers should have the chance to transform with it. So, the two must go hand in hand.”
He said the Government, through the newly merged Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), would bring support for businesses and workers closer together so companies could transform their operations and workforces simultaneously.
“So don’t just come to the Government for enterprise grants. Talk about workforce grants too,” he said.
The SWDA was formed earlier this year through the merger of SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore. Its new flagship centre, Connect by SWDA, brings learning, career guidance and employment support together for individuals and employers.
Wong said the agency would also ensure that skills acquired by workers remained relevant to industry by paying close attention to the quality and relevance of training courses.
Courses should meet high standards, provide substantive training and build skills that could open pathways to better jobs, new roles or stronger career prospects, he said.
However, he said employers should not expect graduates to be fully job-ready from day one.
“Education institutions must be responsive to industry needs, but they cannot possibly prepare every student for every specific job,” he said.
“They must also equip young people with strong foundations and a broader set of capabilities to think critically, to be able to adapt and learn on a continuing basis.”
Wong said employers also had a responsibility to invest in workers and provide job-specific training.
On simplifying the support system, he acknowledged that the large number of schemes, programmes and training providers could make it confusing for workers and businesses.
“We do need to streamline and be more customer-centric,” he said, adding that people should not have to know which agency runs which scheme before they can get help.
SWDA will initially provide a one-stop resource portal for employers, refresh the SkillsFuture portal and launch a new portal offering six months of free access to selected premium AI tools, alongside a curated catalogue of more than 200 AI courses.
Wong said Connect by SWDA was “more than a place for people to sign up for courses”, as it would help jobseekers assess their position, understand available opportunities and receive tailored advice on skills and career steps.
The centre will also support employers with workforce transformation, job redesign and efforts to equip workers with new skills, while smaller businesses will receive additional support including digital tools and funding to offset some costs of job redesign and workforce transformation.
Wong said skills were becoming obsolete faster and careers increasingly involved pivots and transitions, making cooperation between businesses, workers, unions and training institutions essential.
“Every issue is different. But the approach is the same: bring the right people together, understand the problem on the ground, and work out practical solutions collectively,” he said. - September 16, 2026
