PUBLISHED ONJuly 22, 2026 1:25 PMBYSean LerNewly-appointed Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau said on Wednesday (July 22) that it is the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) responsibility to help workers and companies navigate changes brought about by technology such as artificial intelligence.
"Jobs are on everyone's mind right now, and rightly so. Technology is changing how we work, and I know many workers and companies are trying their best to navigate this change," the 43-year-old said at a press conference to announce changes to the Cabinet.
She added that it is the ministry's responsibility to help them through this change.
"This will mean looking at how we uplift our workers in the most vulnerable segments, helping Singaporeans cope with more frequent career transitions, and also ensuring that lifelong learning is genuinely accessible and relevant."
Lau, who will be promoted to senior minister of state, and holds the concurrent appointment of Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, pointed out that this includes taking care of workers through different stages of their careers.
"Of course, we have our younger Singaporeans stepping into the workforce for the first time.
"Also, our adult workers managing their careers, while caring deeply for their children and their loved ones, and also our older workers who can and want to continue contributing."
Retirement adequacy is another area of focus for the new acting minister.
She explained: "I will also keep a close eye on retirement adequacy, so that Singaporeans who have worked hard all their lives can look forward to their later years with confidence."
Lau also paid tribute to outgoing Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng, who will oversee energy and industry in the renamed Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, saying that he has left "big shoes to fill".
Since becoming Manpower Minister in May 2021, Dr Tan has strengthened the progressive wage model, put in place the Workplace Fairness Act, and also enacted stronger protection for platform workers, Lau noted.
The new acting minister, who held portfolios in health, finance and manpower when she was a civil servant, said her current roles — as Minister of State in the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Digital Development and Information — have given her some insight into technology-related concerns such as artificial intelligence, and the concerns and anxieties of younger Singaporeans entering the workforce.
Asked how she is preparing for her first ministerial role, Lau said: "MOM work does require extensive stakeholder engagement and management and that's a skill that we've built up over the years, whether in the public service or in our initial year as a politician.
"So I think those skills remain relevant regardless of which portfolio we are being put to. And in the case of manpower, it's a combination of those skills, as well as the knowledge around technology."
Alongside Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, and Sim Ann, who will be appointed Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Lau is the fifth female office holder to hold a ministerial-level appointment in the Cabinet.
[[nid:740914]]
