KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — A rising number of white-collar workers in Singapore have been seeking help from unions and trade associations after losing their jobs, amid rising retrenchments linked to business restructuring, offshoring and artificial intelligence.

The Straits Times reported that the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) handled more than 3,900 retrenchment and termination-related cases involving professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) in 2025, up 5 per cent from 2024.

NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay told the Singapore daily that some roles were being moved out of Singapore “even when local PMEs are experienced and capable”, while some companies were also citing AI investments as a reason for workforce restructuring.

“We are also seeing businesses cite investments in AI as a factor for workforce restructuring. Some workers find themselves displaced because job roles are changing faster than they can adapt,” he was quoted as saying.

Singapore’s unemployment rate remained low at 2 per cent in 2024 and 2025, but retrenchments rose from 6,440 in 2022 to 13,020 in 2024 and 14,490 in 2025.

Tay said NTUC was concerned that many PMEs were unaware they could join unions and seek representation during retrenchments, particularly those in professional services, finance, and infocomm and technology, which he said were more exposed to generative AI disruption.

The report cited one IT worker, identified only as Benjamin, who said his employment was terminated in February 2026 after 18 years at a non-unionised company despite good performance reviews.

After he sought NTUC’s help, the company agreed to a settlement comprising six months of ex-gratia payment and one month’s bonus payment, amounting to S$47,600.

The Straits Times also reported that another executive, identified only as Raghu, received three months’ salary in lieu of notice and two months’ retrenchment benefit after NTUC advised him on his contractual rights.

Dentons Rodyk senior partner Ray Chiang told the paper that employees at non-unionised companies could still seek NTUC’s support, but such workers rarely have a contractually enforceable retrenchment benefit unless this is stated in their employment contracts.

Labour economist Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences said workers were currently “too exposed to the risks of retrenchment”, although making the labour market more rigid through mandated protections could affect Singapore’s competitiveness.

He suggested that broader support, including higher-income access to the Jobseekers’ Support Scheme or retrenchment benefit insurance funded by companies, could help workers manage job loss more effectively.