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Regional Centre for the Future of Work

Singapore Conference on the Future of Work, 29 April 2019

Watch video recordings of the 2019 Singapore Conference on the Future of Work, where over 700 government, worker, and employer representatives from ASEAN discussed technology, tripartism, and workforce readiness.

Last updated 28 August 2026
Banner for Singapore Conference on the Future of Work 2019, April 28-30, with worker photos on a blue background.

The Singapore Ministry of Manpower, in collaboration with the Singapore National Trade Unions Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), co-organised the Singapore Conference on the Future of Work with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 29 April 2019. The conference was a response to the ILO’s call for each member state to conduct national conversations and set out its response to the ILO Global Commission’s Report on the Future of Work, which was released on 22 January 2019.

The conference brought together more than 700 government, worker and employer representatives from ASEAN Member States and ASEAN’s six dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.

Panel Discussions

Tripartite speakers from the region, Commissioners from the ILO’s Global Commission of the Future of Work and industry leaders shared insights and engaged in in-depth discussions with the participants.

Panel 1: Embracing Technology and Promoting Human-centric Agenda at the Workplace

Moderator: Ms Lin Diaan-Yi, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company Singapore

Panellists:

  1. Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Singapore

  2. Ms Akiko Gono, Adviser on International Affairs, Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) & Titular Member, Workers’ Group of the ILO GB

  3. Mr Abraham Thomas, Managing Director, IBM Singapore Pte Ltd

  4. Prof Vanessa Evers, Professor of Computer Science, Human Interaction Group and Scientific Director Design Lab, University of Twente; and Head, NTU Institute of Science and Technology for Humanity

  5. Ms Reema Nanavaty, Former General Secretary, SEWA

Panel 2: The Role of Tripartism in Promoting Sustainable and Inclusive Growth

Moderator: Dr Gillian Koh, Deputy Director (Research), Institute of Policy Studies

Panellists:

  1. Mr M Kulasegaran, Minister of Human Resources, Malaysia

  2. Mr Richard Wagstaff, President, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU)

  3. Ms Goh Swee Chen, Independent Director, SIA and Former Chairman, Shell

  4. Mr Ancheta Tan, President Emeritus, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) & Deputy Member, Employers’ Group of the ILO GB

  5. Mr Philip Jennings, Former General Secretary, UNI Global Union

Panel 3: Building an Agile and Future-ready Workforce

Moderator: Ms Loke Wei Sue, Presenter, Channel News Asia

Panellists:

  1. Mr Hanif Dhakiri, Minister of Manpower, Indonesia

  2. Mr Heng Sour, Secretary of State of Labour, Cambodia

  3. Mr Patrick Tay, Assistant Secretary-General, Singapore National Trades Union Congress

  4. Ms Teo Lay Lim, Senior MD ASEAN and Country MD, Accenture

  5. Dr Bicky Bhangu, Regional Director for Southeast Asia and Pacific, Rolls-Royce

  6. Mr Alain Dehaze, CEO, Adecco Group