AI Influence Profile
Tan See Leng
Positioning
Member of Parliament. Spoke in 12 AI-related parliamentary debates (2024–2026), most often on AI & Employment and AI Economy & Industry.
Parliamentary AI record (12)
Energy Crisis, AI Data-Centre Demand and the Impact on Hiring Prospects
2026-05-07 · Parliament 15
Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng and Bukit Panjang MP Liang Eng Hwa asked how the Middle East-triggered energy crisis is affecting hiring prospects. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the labour market remains resilient for now but firms have turned cautious — the share intending to hire in the next three months fell from 54.6% in February 2026 to 44.6% in March, with early signs of stabilisation in April. On longer-term structural impact, he said the crisis would accelerate shifts already underway (supply-chain diversification, digitalisation) and pointed directly to AI's energy implications: "with the move towards a pervasive adoption of AI, there will be a need for even more energy to drive the data centres and the high compute requirements of these AI data centres. Energy is really the new currency." Dr Choo Pei Ling asked whether workforce planning is adapting to persistent uncertainty from overlapping trade fragmentation, technological change and sectoral restructuring; the Minister answered "a resounding yes," citing over 12 hours of debate across two days (seven on AI).
An Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transition with No Jobless Growth (Main Debate)
2026-05-06 · Parliament 15
On 6 May Parliament resumed debate on NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng's motion "An AI Transition with No Jobless Growth", with around 20 MPs speaking in the most substantive AI debate of the 15th Parliament to date. The motion asked the House to recognise AI's transformative power for Singapore's next phase of growth, anchor AI-enabled growth in fairness, resilience and opportunity for all, equip workers and enterprises, and affirm that Singapore must not have jobless growth. PAP and labour MPs focused on job redesign, Company Training Committees and the new Tripartite Jobs Council. Workers' Party MPs all supported the motion but proposed structural alternatives: Gerald Giam a National AI Equity Fund paying every adult citizen a $500 annual dividend plus an on-the-job mastery fund; Andre Low a redundancy insurance with no income ceiling, a retraining tax credit and an annual "AI gains audit"; Kenneth Tiong universal premium AI tool access and sovereign-level engagement with frontier AI firms. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng rejected the WP proposals as "a settlement" rather than empowerment, cited an MOM survey that only about 6% of AI-adopting firms cut headcount, and committed to studying a higher Jobseeker Support income threshold and earlier retrenchment notification. Speakers on both sides declared support for the motion.
An Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transition with No Jobless Growth (Debate Conclusion)
2026-05-06 · Parliament 15
The debate on the Motion "An AI Transition with No Jobless Growth" concluded on 6 May. In clarifications, WP's Andre Low stressed that strong social safety nets and urging Singaporeans to embrace AI are not zero-sum; Gerald Giam defended his proposed National AI Equity Fund as "not about a compensation for failure", with nearly half the fund invested directly in workers' skills, and pressed the Government on structurally sharing AI productivity gains. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng replied that the sharing would come through real income improvement, with SWDA setting clear KPIs tying the Enterprise Workforce Training Package and job redesign to real wages and career progression. WP's Kenneth Tiong questioned the quality of SkillsFuture courses and argued for universal access to frontier AI tools, while Mark Lee countered that Tiong's proposed 90-day mandatory notice for AI-driven role elimination is operationally ambiguous when transformation is gradual. Yeo Wan Ling asked whether job redesign would be an explicit condition of AI grants; Minister of State Jasmin Lau said the direction is committed and details would be worked out with tripartite partners. Wrapping up the debate of 7 hours 18 minutes and 24 speeches, Ng Chee Meng backed raising Jobseeker Support eligibility to the PME median income of about $8,400 and said NTUC is open on the form of support. The Motion was put and agreed to unanimously.
Assessment of AI Impact on Worker Competitiveness and Employability, and Targeted Support Interventions for Affected Workers
2026-05-06 · Parliament 15
Workers' Party MP Ms He Ting Ru filed two written questions to the Minister for Manpower on AI's impact on the labour market: the latest assessment of the salary premium for AI skills and how it varies by sector and seniority, and the top occupations at risk of displacement plus targeted interventions for clerical, back-office and entry-level knowledge workers. Dr Tan See Leng replied that MOM data shows PMETs in infocomm, financial services and professional services have seen relatively higher retrenchment incidence in recent years, indicating ongoing restructuring rather than a contraction in PMET demand. MOM has no data on AI-skill salary premiums as corporate AI adoption is still at an early stage. Support measures include Workforce Singapore's Career Conversion Programmes for workers in clerical and back-office roles, the Graduate Industry Traineeship scheme for fresh graduates without full-time jobs, and SkillsFuture Singapore's simplified AI learning pathways. Later this year, Singaporeans taking eligible AI training courses will receive six months' complimentary access to premium AI tools. The Government will keep monitoring the labour market and calibrating support.
MOM Committee of Supply 2026 — AI, Workforce & Career Resilience
2026-03-03 · Parliament 15
The MOM Committee of Supply debate was the centrepiece for AI and workforce issues in the Budget. Minister Tan See Leng framed AI as transforming the nature of work — not only what jobs people do, but how work is organised, skills are built, and careers evolve. Key threads: (1) AI as a gamechanger that can augment or displace workers depending on how jobs are redesigned; (2) SkillsFuture participation exceeding 600,000, with 458,000+ Singaporeans using SkillsFuture credits; (3) reframing "job redesign" as "human-with-AI job redesign", using design thinking to combine AI with human judgement, empathy and creativity; (4) mid-career PMEs face the highest risk and need career health to become mainstream, preventive and personalised; (5) generative AI poses higher risk to white-collar work than to manual / dexterity-based roles. MPs' threads: Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), forward-looking when introduced in 2016, must be sharpened to give clear direction on AI-driven business process redesign, workforce-transition timelines and credible pathways into new roles; Ms Yeo Wan Ling argued the 2026 expansion of the Non-traditional Sources Occupation List (NTS-OL) must be coupled with productivity-linked conditions — structured training of locals, skills transfer from foreign workers, and job redesign; NMP Assoc Prof Terence Ho warned of an "AI divide" and proposed free or subsidised time-limited access to premium AI tools (the US$20–30/month tier) for mature workers, with longer-term subsidies for lower-income Singaporeans; Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim cautioned that agentic AI threatens entry-level positions and called for institutionalising the GRIT programme as a national on-the-job training subsidy.
Study on Labour Impacted by AI in SMEs and Plans to Support Workers Substituted by AI
2026-02-04 · Parliament 15
An MP asked whether the government is studying for whom AI is a substitute versus a complement, and whether there are differences between SMEs and MNCs. The government replied that it is studying AI's labour-market impact and that effects depend on the nature of business activities and job roles rather than firm size. The government supports all firms in job redesign and worker reskilling to help displaced workers transition — an inclusive workforce-transformation approach.
Publication of Quarterly Statistics on AI-related Retrenchment and Redeployment of Affected Workers
2026-01-12 · Parliament 15
An MP asked whether quarterly statistics on AI-related retrenchments and the redeployment of affected workers will be published. The government replied that retrenchments are mainly attributed to business restructuring (which includes AI-driven productivity gains) and that it will continue to study technology's impact on jobs. The central debate is the transparency of AI retrenchment data and how its specific impact is assessed.
Update on Jobs Transformation Maps and Support Available for Mid-Career Employees and Sectors Undergoing Restructuring
2025-11-04 · Parliament 15
Questions focused on the latest progress of Jobs Transformation Maps, support for mid-career employees adapting to industry shifts, and assistance for workers in restructuring sectors. The government replied that 19 JTMs have been launched, covering about 1.7 million workers, and that career conversion programmes help mid-career workers reskill while industry insights drive upskilling and job redesign in restructuring sectors. The core debate: how to effectively implement JTM recommendations so mid-career and restructuring-sector workers transition smoothly.
Reasons for Lower Proportion of Fresh Graduates in Full-time Employment and Extent of Help from GRaduate Industry Traineeship Programme
2025-09-23 · Parliament 15
MPs asked about the cyclical and structural drivers behind the lower share of fresh graduates landing full-time employment, and how the Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) programme can ease the difficulty. The debate focused on GRIT's implementation details, quality safeguards, long-term returns, and support for strategic industries. The government emphasised structured training and firm participation to lift graduate competitiveness; MPs focused on programme effectiveness and fair conversion mechanisms. The core debate: whether the programme genuinely improves long-term employment quality.
Impact of US Export Controls on Singapore's Semi-conductor Industry and Ensuring Singapore-based Chip Companies Abide by New Rules to Safeguard Country's Business Reputation
2025-02-18 · Parliament 14
MPs asked about the impact of US export controls on Singapore's semiconductor industry and economy, and how the government will prevent firms from using Singapore to bypass US restrictions. The government stressed that Singapore is a transparent, rule-of-law international business hub that cracks down on violations and protects national reputation. The core debate: whether Singapore is placed in the second tier of US export controls and how trust with the US can be rebuilt.
Guidelines for Employers' Use of Automated Decision-making Tools for Hiring or Promotions to Prevent Biases
2024-11-13 · Parliament 14
An MP asked whether the government will introduce guidelines on employers' use of automated decision-making tools to prevent hiring and promotion bias, recommending bias audits and disclosure. The Manpower Minister replied that the existing Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices already cover fair-employment principles, no related complaints have been received, AI is evolving fast, and the government will keep monitoring and work with relevant bodies to assess the applicability of current rules. MPs followed up on data privacy and employee consent; the government said it will consider improvements but cautioned against over-restriction.
Committee of Supply – Head V (Ministry of Trade and Industry)
2024-03-01 · Parliament 14
MPs asked how Singapore will drive growth under land, manpower and carbon constraints, focusing on the opportunities and challenges from emerging technologies like generative AI. The government emphasised keeping the country attractive for investment, strengthening manufacturing and services, and lifting infrastructure and talent development, with policy stability to handle global competition and tech change. The core debate: balancing innovation with a solid economic base.