Jobs Lost to Technologies and Automation Versus Jobs Created

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry monitors and keeps track of the number of jobs lost to new technologies and automation vis-a-vis the number of jobs created in Singapore.

The Minister for Manpower (Mrs Josephine Teo): Mr Speaker, there are no no internationally accepted conventions on estimating job creation or losses due to new technologies and automation, as the effect is both direct and indirect. However, in our national manpower statistics, we do monitor employment numbers, which have continued to grow even as technology and automation are transforming industries. In 2018, total employment increased by about 40,000 and that is excluding foreign domestic workers, with particularly strong growth in the technology-intensive Infocomm and Media sector.