'We can't protect workers at the cost of progress'

The future of labour cannot involve protecting workers against disruption at the expense of new business models, Second Minister for Manpower and Home Affairs Josephine Teo said yesterday. Businesses and governments must work together to allay workers' concerns and make sure employees are able to take up the new jobs that will be created from automation and digitisation. "The catch is that the prospect of a net addition of jobs is comforting only to the extent that the workers involved can find ways to access the new opportunities," she said. "Otherwise, it is a frightening thought, and you could have a very unhappy situation where unemployment is rising and yet, at the same time, businesses are growing below potential." Mrs Teo, who is alsoMinister in the Prime Minister's Office, was speaking at the conclusion of the Milken Institute Asia Summit as part of a panel on preparing for jobs some two decades down the road.