STATEMENT BY MR. VIVEK GANESH, FIRST SECRETARY, PERMANENT MISSION OF SINGAPORE AT THE HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (HLPF) SIDE EVENT ON “EMPOWERING THE WORKFORCE: MULTISTAKEHOLDER SOLUTIONS FOR INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINBALE EMPLOYMENT”, 15 JULY 2025

• My sincere thanks to the Permanent Mission of the Philippines for convening this important event today on multistakeholder solutions for inclusive and sustainable employment. 

• Thank you also for the opportunity to share today Singapore’s response to digital transformation and the gig economy through the lens of our Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR). 

• To set the context – what are these Guidelines? 

o These Guidelines, effective since 1 December 2024, are a cornerstone of Singapore’s strategy to build a resilient and adaptable workforce in this digital age.

o They were born from two critical realisations. 

1. COVID-19 for most of us was a crucible, testing the constraints of the traditional work and employment paradigm as we understood and operationalised it. The pandemic proved that flexible work arrangements (FWAs) were not just feasible, but essential for business continuity. 

2. The rise of the gig economy globally and in Singapore demanded rethinking traditional employment models. Today, 1 in 10 Singaporean workers engages in “platform work”, blending flexibility with income security concerns.

• So, what is the purpose of the Guidelines? They aim to foster open dialogue between employers and employees. 

• It sets out the process for employees to formally request FWAs and for employers to consider and respond to these requests and accordingly institutionalise their own internal HR processes and compliance mechanisms for these arrangements.  

o To clarify, these are not rigid mandates but rather frameworks to negotiate mutually beneficial solutions – whether remote work, staggered hours, or job sharing. 

o This is vital in an era of diverse workforce demographics: ageing populations, dual-career families, and caregivers needing tailored arrangements to remain productive.

• Critically, the TG-FWAR is process-oriented, not outcome-prescriptive. 

o Employers must establish clear systems to assess FWA requests fairly, considering factors like workload redistribution and client impact. 

o Employees, in turn, are encouraged to use FWAs responsibly while ensuring their roles remain productive. 

o Enforcement avoids legal penalties; instead, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) guides non-compliant firms through advisories and workshops. This is where the government (Ministry of Manpower) steps in if necessary

• So, where are we at with the Guidelines? – To be candid, they are still quite nascent – we’re only around seven months in, but based on early responses, we’re observing some positive trends. 

o Employers are adopting FWAs proactively, seeing them as tools for talent retention and productivity. By the end of 2024, 84% of establishments in Singapore offered at least one formal FWA modality. 

o We see tech firms and multinationals leading, but SMEs are increasingly using government-supported digital templates to streamline requests.

o Employees, especially parents, caregivers, and older workers, are actively requesting FWAs. Our TAFEP surveys show that 70% of employees see FWAs as critical for job retention.  

• Yet challenges persist. Some employers cite operational constraints in frontline sectors. 

• This is where we believe, digital innovation can bridge gaps and play a crucial role in enabling FWAs. 

o Employers leverage digital tools – from scheduling software, cloud collaboration platforms, to AI-driven productivity trackers. These help to operationalise FWAs transparently, increasing adoption and accommodation by employers. 

o For example, a bank might use apps to coordinate hybrid teams, while a logistics firm digitises shift bids for frontline staff.

o In this digital age we are operating in, digital tools are both input and output, facilitating employment. They have eased operational constraints for gig work, but the increased adoption of gig work has turbocharged the development and dissemination of such digital tools to make their work easier. 

• Beyond the TG-WAR, Singapore is actively looking at inclusive and sustainable employment, but also fairness in these arrangements.

• In January this year, Singapore enacted the Platform Workers Act, a pioneering effort globally where we have been one of the first to recognise “platform workers” as a distinct group of workers from employees or self-employed persons. 

• Under this legislation, this group of workers who enjoy flexibility but lack traditional safeguards now receive among other things:

o Work injury compensation; 

o Central Provident Fund (our mandatory social savings scheme) contributions for retirement/housing; and 

o Representation rights via platform worker associations; 

• Complementing this, we have an upcoming Workplace Fairness Act in 2026/2027 to prohibit discrimination based on age, caregiving duties, or other protected characteristics. This ensures FWA requests are evaluated fairly, aligning with demographic realities.

• To conclude, Singapore’s tripartite model of government, employers, and unions, is working to demonstrate that flexibility and protection can coexist. 

o Digital tools enable FWAs; progressive policies embed them into our social fabric. 

o As gig work grows and demographics shift, our focus remains: empowering every worker to thrive without sacrificing well-being or competitiveness. 

o The TG-FWAR and our associated policies/legislation are our attempt to adapt to the changing paradigm of work, and we see it not an endpoint but a foundation for inclusive growth in the digital age.

• According to the World Bank, 1.2 billion young people in developing countries will be entering the workforce in the next decade. However, we will only be able to generate around 450 million jobs. There will be a huge deficit in job creation that we must get ahead of.  

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