If you caught PM Lawrence Wong’s Budget 2026 speech yesterday (12 Feb), you’d have noticed one word popping up more than your favourite bubble tea order: AI.
And honestly? It’s about time.
Budget 2026: Singapore Is Going All-In on AI
In what’s arguably the most AI-focused Budget speech Singapore has ever seen, PM Wong made it crystal clear that artificial intelligence isn’t just some buzzword the Government is throwing around: it’s being treated as a national strategic advantage.
Singapore is setting up a National AI Council, chaired by PM Wong himself, to drive AI transformation across key sectors like advanced manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and connectivity. There’s also a new Champions of AI programme to support companies going all-in on AI transformation, and businesses can now claim 400% tax deductions on up to $50,000 of qualifying AI expenses per year.
But the part that really matters to everyday workers? The Government is redesigning the SkillsFuture website to make AI courses easier to find, and Singaporeans who sign up for selected AI training courses will get six months of free access to premium AI tools.
Yah, six months of free AI tools. Premium somemore.
PM Wong didn’t mince his words either. “Fear cannot be Singapore’s response,” he said, adding that if we allow uncertainty to paralyse us, Singapore will fall behind in a world that’s moving rapidly ahead.
But how can workers be more…erm, fearless?
And that’s exactly where NTUC comes in.
The Labour Movement, not the supermarket.
NTUC Launches AI-Ready SG: Because Telling Workers to “Upskill” Isn’t Enough
Just a day after Budget 2026, on 13 February, NTUC officially launched its AI-Ready SG initiative at the NTUC Career Festival 2026, and it’s probably the most practical, on-the-ground response to the Government’s AI push that workers could ask for.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng put it plainly: PMEs (Professionals, Managers, and Executives) are facing mounting pressures in this period of significant disruption.
And the numbers back this up. An NTUC survey on economic sentiments conducted with 2,000 workers in 2025 found that job security is the top concern for one in five respondents.
The worry?
A mix of economic uncertainties, AI and automation displacing jobs, and the fear that their skills are becoming obsolete. PMEs, in particular, are more anxious about AI’s impact on their careers.
So rather than just telling workers to “go learn AI,” NTUC is actually putting money where its mouth is.
So, what can you expect from the AI-Ready SG initiative?
A First-of-Its-Kind AI Tool Subscription Subsidy
Here’s the headline grabber: under AI-Ready SG, NTUC members can receive subsidies to defray up to 50% of subscription costs for eligible AI tools.
Yes, you read that right. If you’re an NTUC member, the union will help you pay for AI tools that can boost your productivity.
This is the first time a subsidy like this has been offered in Singapore for individuals. The funding support will be piloted for two years, and training will be built into the adoption process so you’re not just getting the tool: you’re actually learning how to use it properly.
More details on which specific tools are eligible will be announced in due course, but the intent is clear: NTUC wants to make sure that cost isn’t a barrier to workers getting their hands on AI.
There Are AI Training Pathways Too
Of course, handing someone a subscription to ChatGPT without any training is a bit like giving someone a Formula 1 car without driving lessons. That’s why AI-Ready SG also includes AI training pathways developed by NTUC LearningHub, tailored to where each worker is in their AI journey.
If you’re just starting out, there are foundational courses to build essential AI and digital literacy. If your role is one of those most impacted by AI, there are job-specific, sector-based courses to help you integrate AI into your daily workflows. And if you’re already a tech professional or AI practitioner, there are hands-on, technically rigorous programmes to help you lead business transformation.
These pathways are aligned with national Skills Frameworks and designed based on actual skills gaps identified through on-the-ground engagement with employers and industry partners—not just theoretical classroom stuff.
Better Workers, Better Jobs, Better Matching
AI-Ready SG is built around three pillars, and they’re refreshingly straightforward.
Better Workers is about equipping people with the skills and tools to stay employable. That’s the AI tool subsidy and training pathways we just talked about. There’s also the new NTUC LearningHub Career Mentorship Programme, which connects PMEs with certified mentors through an AI-enabled matching system. So you get paired with someone who actually aligns with your career goals.
Better Jobs is about working with companies to redesign jobs and transform businesses so that AI creates better roles, not just fewer ones. This is anchored on NTUC’s Company Training Committee (CTC) initiative and the CTC Grant, which co-funds up to 70% of qualifying costs for companies’ transformation projects.
To date, more than 13,000 workers are set to benefit through wage increases, skills allowances, and structured career pathways. And here’s a telling stat: the number of AI-related CTC Grant projects by companies in 2025 more than doubled from 2024.
NTUC has also launched Sectoral AI Playbooks for industries facing the most AI disruption. The first three, released on 13 Feb, cover the Electronics, Marine & Engineering sector, Hospitality and Consumer Business sector, and Essential Domestic Services sector.
Better Matching is about connecting upskilled workers with future-ready jobs.
And that’s essentially what the NTUC Career Festival is all about.
The NTUC Career Festival 2026
If you think the NTUC Career Festival is just rows of booths handing out flyers, think again.
We were there for the event, and boy, was it exciting.
Held from 13 to 14 February 2026 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the two-day event features over 5,000 job opportunities from more than 70 employers, including plenty of entry-level roles for fresh graduates and youths.
But what makes this year’s festival different is how deeply AI is woven into the experience.
There’s a Career Xchange Lounge where jobseekers can access career resources, try out hands-on AI tools, and explore practical AI application showcases. It’s designed to help visitors build employability, confidence, and digital fluency, not just pick up a name card and leave.
There’s also the Career Mentorship Hub, where attendees can connect with experienced mentors for structured career guidance.
During the event, SG Ng also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NTUC’s e2i and Institutes of Higher Learning to enhance career readiness and employability support for fresh graduates through joint job matching and industry engagement.
Missed the event? No worries; you can still use the NTUC AI Career Coach (AICC), an AI-powered self-help platform that helps jobseekers get job-matching recommendations, personalise their resumes with AI guidance, prepare for interviews, and explore career pathways. As of January 2026, the AICC has already seen more than 5,000 sign-ups.
So, What Does This Mean For You?
The whole AI conversation can feel overwhelming. Every other headline is about how AI is going to take over jobs, and it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind if you haven’t already mastered prompt engineering or built your own chatbot.
But here’s the reassuring part: you don’t have to figure this out alone.
Between the Government’s Budget 2026 measures and NTUC’s AI-Ready SG initiative offering subsidised AI tools, structured training pathways, mentorship, and a career festival packed with opportunities, there’s a pretty comprehensive support system being built around workers right now.
Whether you’re a fresh grad wondering what the job market looks like, a mid-career professional thinking about your next move, or a PMET worried about AI reshaping your role, the message from both the Government and NTUC is the same: they’re not going to let you fall behind.
As PM Wong said, Singapore will not be passive in the face of rapid changes. And with NTUC’s AI-Ready SG, it’s time to be AI ready, and not AI resistant.
To find out more about NTUC’s AI-Ready SG initiative, click here.
Or just ask ChatGPT lah.
This article is written in collaboration with NTUC.
