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Over the next three years, LAB's efforts will be guided by four key research themes: Employment and productivity; labour in the global economy; health, safety, and wellbeing at work, and emerging labour trends.
Singapore's National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has launched the NTUC Labour Alliance co-laB (LAB). This partnership of 50 members — comprising labour experts, academics, practitioners, and researchers spanning renowned institutions and universities — aims to transform insights to impact by conducting labour research and examining current and emerging workforce trends and challenges to improve the lives and livelihoods of workers.
Speaking at the launch event, attended by HRO, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng (pictured above, centre) said LAB represents a significant step forward in all parties' collective efforts.
The LAB research community hopes to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing among members to positively influence labour policies, practices, and discourses. Over the next three years, LAB's efforts will be guided by four key research themes:
- Employment and productivity,
- Labour in the global economy,
- Health, safety, and wellbeing at work, and
- Emerging labour trends.
NTUC explained that these themes cover a broad spectrum of issues impacting workers at the workplace — ranging from identifying future skills demands driven by technological advancements, to addressing the challenges posed by the gig economy and remote work in an increasingly digitalised economy.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay (pictured above, far right) also affirmed sentiments on the launch of the LAB being a key step in advancing Singapore's efforts, focusing on labour research and fostering collaboration among experts.
"LAB represents a natural extension of our mission to drive meaningful change, leveraging data-driven insights and strategic partnerships to better support workers and the future of work."
The LAB was officially launched by NTUC SG Ng together with NTUC President K Thanaletchimi (pictured above, first from left); Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang (pictured above, second from left); Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) Vice President Alexander Melchers (pictured above, fourth from left), and NTUC ASG Patrick Tay. The conference was attended by union leaders, industry players, government agencies and academics.
Held at the NTUC Centre, the fifth edition of NTUC’s Labour Research Conference highlighted the themed 'Thriving in a Modern Work Environment'. The conference saw a series of insightful exchanges, open dialogues and candid discussions among union leaders, industry players, government agencies and academics.
Topics that were discussed at the LRC 2024 included:
- Bridging the gap in the pursuit of sustainability: How to ensure that the transition towards a green economy is fair and inclusive and creates good work opportunities for workers.
- Redesigning the rhythm of work: How flexible work arrangements can be implemented to create win-win scenarios for companies and employees.
- Navigating the dynamics of worker wellbeing: Sharing preliminary findings from research into worker well-being that identified key factors that impact the well-being of workers to help enhance workers’ welfare.
To further support existing efforts, NTUC also published the third volume of the Singapore Labour Journal (SGLJ) titled Challenge as Opportunity. This latest edition offers extensive research and analysis by exploring Singapore's changing work and labour landscape, while also proposing sustainable solutions to challenges.
The SGLJ features 11 articles that cover a wide range of topics including the importance of flexible work arrangements in supporting caregivers and promoting career advancement; the adoption of technology in SMEs; and an analysis of retrenchment trends in Singapore to name a few.
Lead image / Provided by NTUC
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