Acting Manpower Minister Jasmin Lau said on 28 Oct that the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme will add about 140 courses from 1 Dec, including around 60 sector-specific options in tech, maritime and financial services.
Source: CNA — SkillsFuture mid-career support to cover 140 more training programmes, including tech job placements (28 Oct 2026)
From 1 January 2029, Singapore will move the statutory retirement age up to 65 and the re-employment age up to 70. Flexible work arrangements for older workers will also be expanded.
Retrenchments jumped to 4,620 in the second quarter — the highest quarterly total since late 2020, Malay Mail reports. MOM says the driver isn’t cost-cutting or company closures; it’s businesses reorganising and restructuring as they digitalise and automate. Vacancies still outnumber jobseekers overall, but the spike points to employers recalibrating faster than expected.
A SNEF survey of 1,000 employers released on 30 Oct found most firms use AI in HR, mainly in early stages such as screening candidates, and humans confirm the final decision in 85% of use cases.
A Singapore tribunal magistrate dismissed a wrongful dismissal claim by a former PR firm managing director, who was fired without notice during her notice period after secretly recording a meeting with company leaders. The magistrate said such a recording could amount to misconduct justifying summary dismissal, but each case depends on its facts.
The National Wages Council’s 2026/2027 guidelines recommend that workers earning up to S$2,800 a month get a 6% to 8% wage increase or at least S$120, with a new category for firms that have not done well and are unprofitable, which should still give at least S$120. The guidelines, accepted by the Government but not mandatory, cover 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2027.
In an interview with The Straits Times, Minister of State for Manpower Foo Cexiang said MOM is studying fractional work, where a person takes on several projects instead of one full-time job, and will look more closely at why some reskilled jobseekers stay unemployed.
