Singapore’s Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Ong Ye Kung, says the debate over AI’s impact on jobs must move beyond generalities toward specific industry-level analysis. Speaking at the NCS AI Impact 2026 forum on 9 July, Ong categorized future labor trends into three areas: industries with inherent growth, sectors where AI enhances human performance, and roles where automation replaces routine tasks.
Categorizing the AI-Driven Labor Market
According to Minister Ong, the impact of artificial intelligence is not uniform across the economy. He identifies three distinct categories that will define the workforce of the future:
- Growth-Driven Sectors: Industries such as finance and banking, energy, semiconductor manufacturing, and health and social care are expected to see job growth regardless of AI adoption. In health and social care, Ong noted that the technology is intended to mitigate manpower shortages rather than displace employees.
- The Stability Layer: This segment includes schools, construction, and service and hospitality sectors. Ong argued these fields will remain human-centric because consumers place a premium on authentic human creation and mastery. AI will serve as a tool to improve processes rather than a replacement for human interaction.
- Automation-Susceptible Tasks: Routine, process-intensive work—such as report preparation and data collection—faces the highest risk of substitution. Ong emphasized that governments and unions must prioritize reskilling programs like those offered by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) to support transition for these employees.
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Minister Ong cited the Singapore healthcare system as a prime example of human-AI collaboration, noting that AI tools will not fully replace radiologists, and can substitute only one of two human readers for mammogram scans.
NCS Case Study: Transforming the Enterprise
NCS CEO Sam Liew used the company’s 45th anniversary year to demonstrate how a large organization can shift from simply “adding AI” to becoming an AI-led tech services organisation. Liew reported that the firm has launched more than 100 internal AI agents, ensuring that every employee, including corporate services staff, is paired with at least three role-based agents.
Liew highlighted the experience of Jenny, a business support manager with 27 years of service, as a benchmark for this transition. By using AI tools to automate manual project scope reviews and draft replies, her team increased both capacity and capability without needing technical training. “This is exactly what we mean by AI increasing our capability and capacity,” Liew said.
The “Speedboat” Strategy for AI Adoption
Edward Chen, Chief AI Officer at NCS, argued that layering AI onto existing processes yields perhaps a 10% productivity improvement. To achieve a tenfold transformation, Chen suggested that large organisations must rebuild work around AI.
He described a “speedboat” strategy where established companies launch small, AI-native teams tasked with building what did not exist before, rather than trying to overhaul legacy systems all at once. NCS launched its first such unit four months ago, with 10 AI-native builders shipping production-ready products in days and weeks. This initiative is supported by a newly created “AI Central” team, which drives strategy and ensures responsible adoption across the company’s 10 industry-specific Operating Groups.
Pro Tip:
According to the NCS AI Playbook—a guide based on more than 100 projects—95% of AI pilots never make it to production. Common pitfalls include unchanged business processes, a lack of employee reskilling, and employee fear of being displaced, alongside unclear costs, unready data, and ungoverned agent development.
Bridging the Talent Gap
To succeed in this era, NCS advocates for a “bilingual” workforce fluent in both technical AI and domain language. The firm has onboarded more than 1,900 employees into three work-study programs to facilitate this transition. Additionally, NCS has partnered with institutions including the NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to offer masterclasses for senior executives on topics like AI Economics and AI Governance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace jobs in the healthcare sector?
Minister Ong stated that in Singapore, AI is viewed as a tool to mitigate manpower shortages. For example, in radiology, AI will not fully replace radiologists and can substitute only one of two human readers for mammogram scans.
What is the “speedboat” approach to AI?
As described by NCS Chief AI Officer Edward Chen, it involves creating small, agile, AI-native teams within a large organisation to build new products quickly while the main company continues its regular operations.
Why do most AI projects fail?
According to the NCS AI Playbook, 95% of AI pilots fail because of unchanged business processes, lack of employee reskilling, employee fear of displacement, unclear costs, unready data, or ungoverned agent development.
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