A digital workforce is the'way to go' in dealing with labor crunches, says Chinese AI firm Guanchun Wang of Laiye says a digital workforce enabled by artificial intelligence can address problems such as the Great Resignation in the West and falling birth rates in China.

SINGAPORE – Sherine Toh says her best days at work are when none of the 600 or so staff members at Singapore's Tung Lok Restaurants quits, though such days are rare. The Chinese restaurant group is one of the thousands of businesses struggling with a labor crunch caused by curbs on foreign workers that threaten the city-state's already feeble growth rates. "It has gotten much tougher compared to the old days, five years back," said Toh, who has at least 20 vacancies to fill at any one time as head of human resources. The group closed some outlets because of the shortage. The city's restaurants, hotels and retailers have become the biggest casualties of the labor crunch since Singapore accelerated restrictions on foreign workers in 2011 as political disquiet about immigration grew.