Singapore's President warns of AI's risk to employment for fresh graduates
Tharman Shanmugaratnam said AI is reducing first-job demand and urged public-private action to help graduates enter the labor market.
- On Monday, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam addressed the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, warning that artificial intelligence is reducing demand for entry-level jobs and the "first rung in employment" for fresh graduates.
- Shanmugaratnam cautioned that AI disruptions could create a "new divergence" between developing and advanced economies, noting evidence is clearest in AI-exposed sectors where graduate demand has declined for the first time in a century.
- He noted the rise of "one-person companies" as a new growth sector; these firms often start with a single individual and may later expand, representing a structural shift in the job market.
- "Governments have to get involved with the private sector to make that first job possible," President Tharman stated, arguing that public-private collaboration is essential to ensure fresh graduates gain a necessary foothold.
- Without intervention, young people may wait longer for employment and compete with subsequent graduating cohorts, President Tharman warned; failing to act risks losing vital skills, intangible aptitudes, and trust in the future.
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7 Articles
'Don't fixate on one model': Singapore's President urges education rethink as AI disrupts entry-level hiring
Governments around the world must move quickly to address a decline in hiring for fresh graduates as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes labour markets, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said during a panel discussion at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG) in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday (Oct 12).Addressing central bankers, finance ministers and officials,...
Is AI killing the first job? Singapore President warns freshers could be hit hardest
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has warned that AI is weakening demand for fresh graduates, particularly in exposed sectors. India’s hiring data offers a more complex picture, with fresher recruitment still growing even as employers rethink entry-level skills. Here is what the warning means for graduates entering an increasingly AI-driven job market.
The largest reduction in the demand for start-up workers is in sectors where work processes are being actively automated.
Singapore's President warns of AI's risk to employment for fresh graduates
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said governments across the world should address the pressing issue of how the emergence of artificial intelligence is dampening jobs demand for fresh graduates.
AI and Graduate Employment: World Bank Council Urges Job Support as IMF Warns of Disruption
The Education Magazine October 13, 2026 Artificial intelligence (AI) is raising concerns about AI and graduate employment as the World Bank Jobs Council calls for lasting employment support and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warns of labour-market disruption. At the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok on October 12, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam […]
On October 12th, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore,
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