WP responds to NDR 2025, urges govt to consider all solutions amid global uncertainty

The Workers' Party (WP) has released a statement in response to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally speech on Aug. 17.

WP concurred with PM Wong's opening remarks that Singapore is starting its next chapter in more troubled times.

The party cited the Jul. 30 labour force report by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) saying global economic uncertainty is expected to persist and may hurt jobs and wage growth.

During the Rally, PM Wong laid out several plans by the government to navigate this uncertainty, such as ramping up job matching services, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), and a new traineeship programme.

In addition to these moves, WP called on the government to "engage widely and explore all solutions tabled in good faith, including previously untapped ones".

Rent and jobs

While looking ahead for Singapore's economy, the government should also tackle present concerns, WP said.

The party highlighted various concerns that are plaguing businesses and employees today: rising rental costs, skills-related underemployment, and the "slow rate" of real income growth of 0.7 per cent per annum over the past five years.

It reiterated its manifesto proposals that JTC Corporation should expand its market share for industrial space, and continue offering low-rent options at different price-value points for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) alongside its private sector-run facilities.

On jobs, WP suggested for the government to "urgently track and regularly publish underemployment measures" so that Singaporeans can assess the success of its efforts to boost employment.

The party agreed with the approach of improving jobs matching efforts for Singaporeans, and asked for this programme to be accelerated.

Based on their experience, WP said many residents referred to e2i, the NTUC Employment and Employability Institute, often receive career counselling, "but not the direct job-matching support they truly need".

Hence, the new approach would better help many job seekers get what they seek, which is "real opportunities and connections to employers who are hiring".

WP also reiterated its call for a statutory minimum wage.

AI challenges

In his speech, PM Wong shared plans to keep Singapore competitive and productive by embracing AI technology.

At the same time, he said that jobs remain the top priority. As AI could potentially alter and replace jobs, the government will ensure jobs are being created.

WP noted these remarks in its statement, and put forth suggestions to "ensure no one gets left behind" as Singapore continues to adopt AI.

As it proposed in its manifesto, WP called for the Singapore school curriculum to be better aligned with evolving needs of the economy, through more collaboration between the Ministries of Education and Manpower.

This can be done, the party elaborated, by implementing feedback loops from industries on curriculum design, funding for structural skill-gap areas, and career guidance for students.

WP agreed with PM Wong on the importance of preparing students for the AI era, and also that essential soft skills such as empathy and adaptability cannot be replaced by AI.

For students to develop these soft skills, WP called for an increase in the number of allied educators, so that class sizes can be reduced and students can receive more attention.

Another proposal was to shift away from high-stakes examinations and towards continual assessment and a through-train approach.

Outside of education, WP also called on the government to improve social safety nets to protect employees from ongoing disruptions as Singapore embraces AI.

These should include introducing redundancy insurance, and mandating retrenchment benefits for people made redundant in companies with at least 25 employees, WP said.

Traineeship

Finally, WP also touched on PM Wong's announcement of a new government-funded traineeship programme for Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnic, and university graduates.

The scheme aims to encourage companies to provide graduates with training opportunities, so that they are better equipped to secure full-time jobs.

WP acknowledged the importance of such support for young graduates and mid-career workers.

While more details are still to come, WP urged the government to ensure that the programme is designed with safeguards to ensure its effectiveness and fairness.

The party cautioned that "state-sponsored internships and apprenticeships must not be used by companies only as a source of cheaper, subsidised labour."

It added that there should be "clear performance metrics and a transparent commitment" from participating companies to consider trainees for full-time employment once the training period ends.

The trainees should also receive basic workplace protections, including paid sick leave and safe working conditions, WP said.

Top image from The Workers' Party/Facebook