Tripartite Workgroup’s Recommendations on Strengthening Human Capital in Singapore: AI Adoption, HR Certification, and More

Introduction

On 24 September 2026, the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development (“TWG-HC“) released a report titled “Opportunity by Design: Strengthening Human Capital in Every Workplace for Every Worker” (“Report“). The Report sets out five recommendations across three interconnected thrusts to strengthen human capital capabilities in Singapore, namely:

1. Unlock better opportunities for Singaporeans

• Establish the Singapore Opportunity Index (“SOI“) as a national benchmark to measure employers’ creation of opportunities. 

2. Transform work, grow people

• Strengthen enterprises’ workforce planning capabilities by providing practical guides and real-world showcases to help businesses incorporate workforce transformation into their broader enterprise transformation plans.
• Help enterprises use artificial intelligence (“AI“) effectively and responsibly in human resource (“HR“) through providing resources and funding support.

3. Enable people leaders and HR professionals to lead the future of work

• Require organisations with more than 200 employees to have at least one suitable HR professional who is an Institute for Human Resource Professionals (“IHRP“) Certified Professional (“IHRP-CP“).
• Implement a new pinnacle people leaders programme designed for senior HR and people leaders.

In a 24 September 2026 press release by the Ministry of Manpower (“MOM“) titled “Recommendations by Tripartite Workgroup to Strengthen Human Capital in Every Workplace for Every Worker” (“Press Release“), the Government accepted all five recommendations.

For employers, the recommendations signal an increased emphasis on integrating workforce considerations into business transformation, professionalising HR functions, and ensuring that the adoption of AI produces positive outcomes for both businesses and employees.

Employers should therefore view the recommendations not merely as an HR capability-building exercise. Taken together, they point towards an employment landscape in which workforce outcomes, professional HR standards, responsible use of AI and people leadership increasingly form part of how organisations plan and execute business transformation.

Thrust 1: Unlock Better Opportunities for Singaporeans 

Recommendation 1: Establish the SOI as a National Benchmark for Opportunity at Work

To provide an external, comparable view of workforce outcomes, the SOI uses verified government data to assess workforce outcomes across five dimensions: hiring, pay, progression, retention and gender parity. Firm-level SOI reports are being progressively released to organisations covered by the SOI and are intended to assist employers in identifying areas of strength and areas where their jobs, development pathways or people practices may require improvement.

Employers may obtain support from the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (“SWDA“), Singapore National Employers Federation (“SNEF“) and National Trades Union Congress (“NTUC“) to interpret their SOI results and translate them into practical improvements. MOM will also explore linking the SOI to complementary resources such as IHRP’s Human Capital Diagnostic Tool.

The SOI may also acquire greater relevance to recruitment over time. MOM intends to work with partners to make SOI information easier for workers and jobseekers to access, including exploring whether SOI signals may be displayed alongside job listings.

Thrust 2: Transform Work, Grow People

Recommendation 2: Help Businesses Build People Capabilities into Growth Strategies

Technology and process changes deliver better business outcomes only when the organisation, jobs and people evolve alongside them. TWG-HC therefore recommends that businesses consider the implications of transformation for jobs, skills and workforce requirements at an early stage rather than only after key business decisions have been made.

SNEF and IHRP will develop two principal resources to support employers:

1. Real-world transformation showcases: Each showcase will explain the business challenge, the workforce implications, the joint diagnosis and trade-offs, and the outcomes for both the enterprise and its workers. These will draw on actual transformation journeys, including AI adoption and job redesign.

2. A practical transformation guide: This will provide diagnostics and solution pathways to assist business and HR leaders in translating transformation plans into workforce action. The guide will also support SWDA-appointed consultants under the Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign+) – which offers funding support for job redesign and workforce transformation – in helping businesses consider jobs, skills and workforce implications alongside decisions about technology, processes and business models.

To allow small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs“) to obtain strategic HR support without employing a full-time senior HR professional, IHRP and local start-up co:grow are piloting a model under which experienced HR leaders are embedded in participating SMEs on a part-time basis. Further details will be provided in a report later this year by the Alliance for Action on Advancing Career & Employment Services (AfA-ACES).

Recommendation 3: Help Businesses Use AI to Transform Work with People at the Centre

To support AI adoption, the Government and tripartite partners will implement the People-centred AI Transformation for HR (PATH) initiative to provide businesses and HR professionals with a clearer, more coordinated pathway through AI transformation. It combines implementation support, practical guidance and capability development, and includes:

1. AI Starter Kits and implementation support to help enterprises apply AI to priority HR use cases, including strategic workforce planning, learning and development, performance management, and resourcing and staffing. Job redesign elements will be embedded across the starter kits. Employers may access supporting schemes including the Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign+), while eligible enterprise-wide and worker-transformation projects may also tap the NTUC Company Training Committee Grant.

2. AI fluency training: Accredited AI fluency programmes will be introduced to support HR professionals in applying AI effectively in HR practices and workflows. These programmes will be aligned to 12 new IHRP AI Fluency Skills Badges at the Proficient level, providing HR professionals with a clear benchmark to build and demonstrate AI fluency. Those accredited may qualify for funding support from SWDA, subject to the agency’s prevailing funding criteria and conditions. 

3. Playbook: NTUC will develop a playbook to help HR professionals navigate AI transformation, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2027. A refreshed HR Jobs Transformation Map addressing AI and other emerging trends is also scheduled for release in the first half of 2027.

Responsible AI use in employment decision-making will receive particular attention. As AI becomes more widely used in recruitment and other employment decisions, tripartite partners intend to develop guidance addressing responsible AI use, including the processes and safeguards employers should adopt to maintain fair and merit-based employment decisions.

Thrust 3: Enable People Leaders and HR Professionals to Lead the Future of Work

Recommendation 4: Professionalise HR Practice

From 1 July 2028, organisations with more than 200 employees have at least one suitable HR professional certified at IHRP-CP level or higher. Employers may satisfy the requirement where their HR professionals hold equivalent certifications from other international HR professional bodies recognised by IHRP and fulfil any prescribed bridging requirements.

In terms of costs, the Government announced in the Press Release that it will provide additional financial support for early certification. From 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2028, there will be an additional S$100 subsidy for IHRP-CP and IHRP Senior Professional certification. These certifications are valid for three years. Organisations may use SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to offset remaining out-of-pocket certification fees.

This measure complements the upcoming roll-out of the Workplace Fairness Act and forms part of a wider professionalisation effort. The tripartite partners aim to increase the pool of certified HR professionals to 40% of the HR workforce by 2030, and 50% by 2035.

Recommendation 5: Develop People Leaders for the Future 

The final recommendation extends capability-building beyond HR professionals to managers and senior leaders, with the following measures:

1. The IHRP Body of Competencies will be refreshed to keep the necessary people leadership capabilities current.
2. Targeted development pathways will help HR and business leaders strengthen the areas where they can make the greatest difference, leaning on a new Business Acumen Role Badge and the existing People Manager Role Badge.
3. For certified HR professionals, there will be strengthened Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements.

The Human Capital Leadership Institute is also developing a pinnacle human capital leadership development programme for senior HR and people leaders. It will begin in 2027 and run in nine-month cohorts.

Concluding Remarks 

The five recommendations reflect a wider shift towards treating human capital planning as an integral component of business strategy. While many measures are supportive rather than mandatory, employers should pay particular attention to the HR-certification requirement and the emerging framework for responsible AI use in employment decisions. 

In light of an anticipated tightening of manpower conditions, employers would do well to move from viewing HR principally as an administrative function towards treating human capital capability as an important element of organisational strategy and transformation. Preparing early for the concrete certification requirement, while strengthening workforce planning and governance around AI-enabled employment decisions, will place businesses in a better position to navigate Singapore’s evolving employment landscape.

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