May Day Rally 2026: PM Lawrence Wong says Company Training Committees’ success led to the formation of the Tripartite Jobs Council

The success of NTUC’s Company Training Committees (CTCs) has led to the formation of the Tripartite Jobs Council (TJC), said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on 1 May 2026 at the May Day Rally.

The TJC was announced on 29 April 2026 by NTUC, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) to help workers reskill, support businesses in AI adoption, and ensure fair, inclusive transitions in a rapidly evolving job landscape.

“That is why we have set up the TJC, to bring together our tripartite resources, to coordinate efforts, pool resources and guide this critical transformation work. Ensure that our push for AI will always benefit workers,” said Mr Wong.

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng is set to share more on NTUC’s plans in Parliament next week, and Mr Wong said that the Government will support this work.

Scaling NTUC’s Company Training Committees for the AI transition

Mr Wong said that NTUC’s CTCs have become a key mechanism of tripartism.CTCs are about more than adopting technology, as they empower workers to be active participants in shaping their future, rather than passive bystanders to disruption, he stressed.

“It [CTCs] brings companies, workers and unions together to identify the skills needed for transformation and to put in place concrete plans to uplift workers. So this is really tripartism in action, delivering better outcomes for both employers and workers,” Mr Wong said.

He added that Singapore can take it further and “scale up the CTC approach for the AI transition, sector by sector, company by company”.

No worker will be left behind amidst AI and economic uncertainty

Mr Wong also emphasised that the tripartite partners will protect every worker amidst technological disruption and economic uncertainty.

He said the world will face “storm after storm”, and Singapore cannot simply wait for the skies to clear.

He pointed to AI as a deeper force reshaping the global economy.

“AI is the defining technology of our time,” he said, noting how quickly it has become part of daily life.

He acknowledged workers’ anxieties about disruption, job changes, and the pace of change, while making it clear that he “cannot promise that there will be no disruption”.

But he made a firm pledge on what will not change in Singapore’s social compact.

“We may not be able to protect every job. But we will protect every worker,” he said.

To strengthen support for workers, Mr Wong outlined moves to bring skills training and job matching closer together, including combining Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) into a new entity, the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), jointly overseen by MOM and MOE.

He also said the Government is strengthening SkillsFuture and supporting workers who face setbacks through the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme.

Another storm is coming, and Singapore must brace itself

While recognising that Singapore’s economy did well in 2025, Mr Wong warned there was no time to rest as another, more severe storm was already upon the world.

He highlighted heightened uncertainty in the Middle East, noting that Iran had closed the Strait of Hormuz and the United States had imposed blockades on Iranian ports, creating a tense stand-off with no clear path to resolution.

With the Strait closed for more than two months, the impact is being felt in higher prices and tighter supply, with Asia especially affected due to its reliance on energy and other critical supplies from the Gulf.

Mr Wong said even when the Strait reopens, it will not be an immediate return to normal, as ports and energy infrastructure have been damaged, shipping lanes will need to be cleared, and confidence restored.

“So we should not expect this crisis to be over anytime soon,” he said, adding that supply disruptions could persist and inflation could rise, spreading from energy to food and other essentials.

For Singapore, he said growth would slow and inflation would be higher, putting real pressure on businesses, workers and households.

Click here for an overview of May Day Rally 2026.