Singapore Leaders Warn AI Threatens Graduate Jobs

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Oct 12, 2026 that AI may break the bottom rung of the career ladder by automating routine entry-level tasks that train young workers. In a dialogue with DBS CEO Tan Su Shan at the Asia Future Forward conference, he said the government is studying schemes to encourage employers to mentor and develop young staff. An April 2026 Ministry of Manpower report found 6.2 percent of AI-adopting firms reduced headcount and 8.5 percent lowered hiring. At IMF-World Bank meetings in Bangkok the same day, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva estimated AI could augment, downgrade or eliminate about 40 percent of jobs globally, with higher exposure in advanced economies. Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said demand for graduates' first jobs is already falling, especially in AI-exposed sectors, and called for education and hiring policy changes. Wong said Singapore is not pursuing technology at all costs but a better society enabled by AI, and welcomed voluntary AI standards agreed after a Sept 29 White House meeting. A PwC survey found Singapore workers' job-security confidence fell to 69 percent in 2026 despite above-average workplace AI use. No material factual disputes appear across the coverage.