ILO, Singapore renew partnership to help ASEAN navigate AI, platform work and demographic shifts

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Singapore have renewed their partnership to help ASEAN countries address emerging workforce challenges, including artificial intelligence, platform work, ageing populations and skills development, over the next two years.

A new Partnership Agreement for a Collaborative Programme on Labour and Decent Work was signed by representatives of the ILO and Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM). 

The agreement will run from June 2026 to June 2028 and aims to strengthen the capacity of governments, employers and workers’ organisations across Southeast Asia to respond to rapidly evolving labour market trends.

Developed in consultation with Singapore’s tripartite partners, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), the renewed framework builds on more than 15 years of collaboration between Singapore and the ILO.

The partnership will expand its focus to include the growing impact of artificial intelligence, the rise of platform and other non-standard forms of employment, demographic transitions and the participation of older workers. Existing areas of cooperation such as occupational safety and health, skills development and social dialogue will also continue.

Planned initiatives include policy dialogues, knowledge-sharing programmes and the exchange of best practices among ASEAN member states.

Stanley Loh, Permanent Secretary of Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, said the agreement reflects a shared commitment to addressing complex labour market challenges facing the region.

“Singapore and the ILO enjoy a longstanding mutually beneficial partnership. This renewed Agreement reflects our shared commitment to collectively address global labour issues such as the impact of new technologies, ageing populations and new forms of work to help unlock opportunities for governments, employers, and workers. We look forward to working with the ILO and our regional partners in ASEAN to advance our shared aspiration to promote decent work and more inclusive and resilient labour markets,” Loh said.

Kaori Nakamura-Osaka, ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said stronger collaboration will be essential as labour markets across the region undergo significant transformation.

“As ASEAN labour markets undergo profound transformation, strong partnerships are essential to ensure that technological change, demographic shifts and new forms of employment create opportunities for all. This renewed agreement reflects our shared commitment to promoting decent work across the region,” she said.

The latest agreement extends a partnership that began in 2011 and has focused on human resource development, labour market cooperation and regional integration initiatives.

Recent collaborative efforts include Singapore’s Leaders in Tripartism Programme held in April 2026, which brought together government, employer and worker representatives from ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea to discuss strengthening tripartism and social dialogue. In September 2025, Singapore and the ILO also convened the Global Dialogue on Digital Platform Work, bringing together participants from more than 20 countries to advance evidence-based policies for platform workers.

The renewed partnership comes as ASEAN economies grapple with the workforce implications of rapid technological change, shifting demographics and evolving employment models, placing greater emphasis on regional cooperation to promote inclusive and sustainable labour market growth.