AI is replacing some tasks, not entire jobs, Ong Ye Kung says

Artificial intelligence is changing what new hires are expected to do, but it is not usually eliminating entire jobs, Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told students and academics on Monday.

Speaking at the annual Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum at the National University of Singapore, Ong said AI is being used as a tool that can redesign jobs rather than produce mass displacement. He warned, however, that its effects will become more profound as it begins to replace knowledge creation and even human connection.

“As AI replaces knowledge creation, and even human connection, the impact will be even more profound. Seizing its opportunities, installing guardrails, and pushing back against its adverse impacts are parallel efforts of equal importance that we must start work now,” Ong said.

He pointed to Graduate Employment Survey data showing that the proportion of graduates who found employment within six months fell from 92.9% in 2023 to 88.9% in 2025. He described the change as evidence of a more competitive market.

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As AI replaces knowledge creation, and even human connection, the impact will be even more profound. Seizing its opportunities, installing guardrails, and pushing back against its adverse impacts are parallel efforts of equal importance that we must start work now.

Ong said employers are also undergoing major changes. The automobile industry is shifting toward electric vehicles, ageing populations are reshaping healthcare, and AI is automating routine tasks that were once often assigned to new hires. That could raise the baseline expectations for entry-level workers, he said.

The minister identified three pressures facing graduates: more people entering the market, employers seeking to distinguish between applicants, and higher expectations for new hires. Together, he said, they are creating a tighter market and greater anxiety about finding work.

He also sought to reassure students that Singapore remains competitive and continues to create jobs. “You are not entering a declining or stagnant economy. You are entering an economy that is growing, that is attracting investments, and that is still dynamic,” he said, citing the country’s role in global supply chains, open economy, free-trade agreements, tripartite cooperation and stable institutions and political climate.

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You are not entering a declining or stagnant economy. You are entering an economy that is growing, that is attracting investments, and that is still dynamic.