NTUC and PwC Singapore partner to enable higher-value work for PMEs as companies drive AI adoption

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and PwC Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to help companies create better jobs and career prospects for workers, as they adopt AI to improve business outcomes. PwC Singapore will bring its expertise, solutions and connections across the business community on board as NTUC’s latest Lead Multiplier in support of the NTUC AI-Ready SG initiative, to help workers and businesses adapt to an AI-enabled economy.

The Singapore findings from the Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2026, launched by PwC Singapore today, found that Singapore workers are already benefitting from AI adoption, with 72 per cent surveyed reporting improved work quality and 63 per cent reporting enhanced creativity. However, these benefits have not eliminated concerns about the future impact of AI on jobs. More than half of workers (53 per cent) view AI taking on workplace tasks as a moderate or major threat to their job security, higher than the global average of 44 per cent. These findings underscore the importance of ensuring workers are equipped to adapt to changing job roles and benefit from AI adoption in the workplace.

Against this backdrop, NTUC and PwC Singapore will help companies to adopt practical AI solutions, redesign jobs and work processes, and equip workers with the skills to take on higher-value work. The MOU signing ceremony was witnessed by NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan and PwC Singapore’s Executive Chairman and CEO Marcus Lam. The agreement was signed by NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Job Security Caryn Lim and PwC Singapore’s Markets Leader Patrick Yeo.

NTUC Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) Desmond Tan said, “As more PME jobs are transformed by AI, workers must have the opportunities, support and training to adapt and grow alongside these changes. AI adoption must go hand in hand with job redesign, so that workers can take on higher-value work and gain better wages and work prospects. Through the NTUC AI-Ready SG initiative, we will continue to grow our ecosystem of partners, including PwC Singapore as our latest Lead Multiplier, to help more workers and companies benefit from transformation.”

PwC Singapore’s Executive Chairman and CEO, Marcus Lam, said, “Singapore's future competitiveness will depend not only on how quickly organisations adopt AI, but on how effectively we enable people to work alongside it. As an open, competitive and high-skilled economy, Singapore’s workforce often experiences the effects of technological change more intensely than many others. Our research shows that Singapore workers are already seeing tangible benefits from AI, yet many remain uncertain about what it means for their future. Closing that gap requires businesses, workers, institutions and government entities to work together to build confidence, develop new capabilities and create pathways into emerging roles. That is why our partnership with NTUC is focused not just on accelerating AI adoption, but on helping companies and workers navigate transformation together."

Helping companies adopt AI while benefitting workers

For many companies and workers, taking the first step towards AI adoption can be challenging. This aligns with the Singapore findings from the Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey, which revealed that around a third of Singapore respondents (32 per cent) have lingering concerns about the accuracy and quality of AI outputs, higher than the global average (25 per cent). Through the partnership with PwC Singapore, NTUC will support companies in adopting trusted AI solutions that can be readily applied to their business needs.

Developed by PwC Singapore, these solutions support common business functions, including procurement and inventory management, document and invoice processing, issue management, resource planning and forecasting. By easing routine work, these solutions can enable workers, including PMEs, to focus on higher-value work requiring greater judgement, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Eligible companies can tap on the NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant to implement these AI solutions that enhance both worker and business outcomes. The grant co-funds up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs for transformation projects or training tied to these projects to raise productivity, redesign jobs, and improve work prospects. These efforts will enable workers to benefit from better wages, structured career pathway through Career Development Plans and/or skills allowances.

The event also includes a showcase by EM Services, an estate and property management company, and its use case of leveraging the CTC Grant to transform its operations. Through the adoption of AI, EM Services aims to modernise work processes, enhance productivity and enable workers to take on higher-value work. EM Services is a unionised company under The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU).

Helping workers move into redesigned jobs as jobs evolve with AI

Technology adoption alone is not enough. Findings from the Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2026 further underscore the need for workforce support and job redesign alongside technology adoption, with half (50 per cent) of Singapore workers surveyed reporting that AI has increased the complexity of their work and 46 per cent saying it has added to their workload. These findings highlight the importance of equipping workers with the skills and confidence to adopt new technologies and navigate changing job demands.

Companies also need to redesign jobs so that workers can take on new and expanded roles. To support this, PwC Singapore will help companies in the business community to benefit from the new Job Redesign Reskilling-Career Conversion Programme (JRR-CCP) administered by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute). Through this programme, companies with approved CTC Grant projects can receive up to 90 per cent salary support for three months to help workers transition into redesigned roles.

NTUC and PwC Singapore is working with EM Services to tap on the JRR-CCP to equip its workers to take on higher-value responsibilities. EM Services also aims to create more attractive roles for younger workers entering the industry, while supporting existing workers to adapt and progress alongside the company as jobs evolve.

Scaling AI capabilities across NTUC Queen Bee networks

The partnership will also work through NTUC’s Queen Bee networks to raise AI literacy and build capabilities across sectors. Through AI workshops2, guided learning and exposure to relevant use cases, workers can better understand and build confidence in leveraging AI for work.

These efforts have already begun. FairPrice Group, the Queen Bee for the wholesale trade and retail sector, brought together 27 of its suppliers for an agentic AI workshop conducted by PwC Singapore on 22 September 2026. Participants gained practical exposure to agentic AI, exploring AI use cases for business operations, AI-related risks and governance considerations, workforce transformation needs, as well as available funding and adoption pathways. More sessions will be conducted for companies and workers across NTUC’s Queen Bee ecosystem.

Through Lead Multipliers such as PwC Singapore, NTUC is advancing the AI-Ready SG initiative by bringing together AI adoption and workforce transformation, so that companies can transform with confidence, while workers are equipped to grow alongside them and benefit from the opportunities in an AI-enabled economy.

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About PwC’s Global Hopes and Fears Survey 2026

PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2026 gathered responses from 49,364 workers across 48 countries and regions and 29 sectors in May and June 2026, of which there are 1,000 Singapore respondents. The figures in this report are weighted proportionally to the working population’s gender and age distribution in each country or region, ensuring workers’ views are broadly representative across all major geographies. Additional Singapore-specific figures from the Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2026 are available in the fact sheet, visit this link for the full report.

About PwC Singapore

At PwC, we help clients build trust and reinvent so they can turn complexity into competitive advantage. We’re a tech-forward, people-empowered network with more than 360,000 people in more than 130 countries and territories. Across audit and assurance, tax and legal, deals, and consulting, we help clients build, accelerate, and sustain momentum. Find out more at www.pwc.com.

About National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions as well as a network of professional associations and partners across all sectors in Singapore. NTUC's objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and working people remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of our members and working people; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement. NTUC's vision is to be an inclusive labour movement for all collars, ages and nationalities. NTUC is at the heart of the Labour Movement, which comprises 56 affiliated unions, seven affiliated associations, a portfolio of businesses and six related organisations, as well as a growing ecosystem of professional associations and enterprise partners. For more details, visit www.ntuc.org.sg.