Singapore: Amid concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has assured Singaporeans that they will continue to be a central focus in the country's economic strategy.
“Singaporeans will always be at the heart of everything we do,” he said in a national rally speech on Sunday (August 17th).
As technology acknowledges that some roles will evolve and others will disappear, Wong said new jobs will also emerge.
To help Singaporeans seize new employment opportunities, he has announced a new employment matching initiative led by the Five Community Development Councils (CDCS).
He said that while previous waves of technological change have improved job quality and wages, many fear that AI will replace the entire profession.
“I understand these concerns and I assure you. Even if we embrace AL and technology, we will not lose sight of our important priorities.”
Wong emphasized that innovation and technology are essential to increasing productivity and improving lives in a sustainable way.
Singapore has invested in research and development for over 20 years, including early bets on biomedical sciences, which proved valuable during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are applying the same long-term approach to other frontier technologies,” he said.
Beyond cutting-edge research, Wong said it is important that new technologies be adopted across the wider economy.
