Study reveals how AI is transforming jobs in Singapore

Singapore Management University (SMU) has launched a major research initiative to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping jobs across Singapore, signalling a growing effort to ensure the workforce keeps pace with rapid technological change.

The flagship study, led by Professor Li Jia, Dean of SMU’s School of Economics, aims to develop what the university describes as Singapore’s most comprehensive and publicly accessible index measuring AI exposure in new job vacancies. The index will track how AI-related skills and task requirements are evolving across occupations, industries and worker segments over time.

By analysing job advertisements and task-level data, the research will map how demand for AI-linked capabilities is changing, with the goal of informing workforce planning, reskilling initiatives and employment policy.

The project is supported by a $450,000 contribution from digital infrastructure company Equinix and marks the first corporate-funded research effort under SMU’s newly launched Resilient Workforces Institute (ResWORK).

“By partnering with SMU on its Resilient Workforce initiative, we’re investing in research that will help position Singapore as a regional leader on AI and the future of work,” said Leong Yee May, managing director of Equinix Singapore. “The findings can inform the design of targeted policies such as reskilling programmes.”

A new institute focused on workforce resilience

The AI exposure study sits within ResWORK, a university-level research institute focused on workforce resilience and lifelong learning in the age of artificial intelligence.

ResWORK has been launched with $5 million in SMU funding over five years, with plans to raise an additional $8 million in external research funding within the next three years to scale its work.

According to SMU, the institute aims to go beyond analysing labour market shifts to developing practical solutions that support workers, employers and policymakers as AI adoption accelerates.

Archan Misra, SMU vice-provost (research) and interim director of ResWORK, said the institute is built on the belief that AI will reshape opportunity rather than simply displace jobs.

“Our research agenda is designed to move beyond diagnosis to solutioning,” Misra said. “We want to work closely with government agencies, employers and other partners to generate evidence that informs policy, organisational practice and lifelong learning systems.”

As Singapore continues to position itself as a regional hub for AI and digital innovation, initiatives such as the AI exposure index could play a critical role in shaping how work evolves—and how workers are supported through that transition.