AI Is Raising the Bar for Singapore’s Fresh Graduates

AI is not simply eliminating work; according to panellists at the May 21, 2026 Asia Tech x Summit session on the future of work, it is changing what counts as job-ready. As automation absorbs some routine junior tasks, employers may expect new graduates to arrive with practical experience and human capabilities that technology does not easily replicate.

Entry-level jobs are changing first

Ng Tian Chong, CEO of Singtel Singapore, said AI agents are taking over some entry-level tasks as companies redesign their workflows. That means a role offered to a fresh graduate may increasingly resemble work that previously required around two or more years of experience. His advice was direct: students should aim to build at least two years of relevant internship experience in the field they want to enter.

The shift does not mean every graduate must follow one fixed route into employment. It does mean that the traditional assumption—learn first, then gain experience gradually on the job—is under pressure when software can perform some of the routine work that once formed the starting point of a career.

Human capabilities are becoming a hiring advantage

Ng highlighted leadership, communication, adaptability and a willingness to keep learning as qualities that can distinguish candidates in an AI-enabled workplace. Singtel is placing less emphasis on a purely linear résumé and more on the capabilities and experience a person has accumulated over time.

That approach changes the question employers ask. Instead of focusing only on where someone started or how closely their career followed a conventional sequence, hiring decisions can also examine whether a candidate can work with others, respond to change, take responsibility and continue developing as the job evolves.

The same principle applies beyond graduate hiring. A worker who keeps reskilling may remain valuable as roles change, while someone with a more conventional career history may fall behind if they are unwilling to learn new skills. The panel’s message was therefore less about age or a particular qualification than about sustained adaptability.

Universities need to show more than what students know

Singapore Management University president Lily Kong argued that universities should move beyond knowledge transfer and deliberately cultivate the human qualities employers need. Co-curricular activities, community service and global exposure can give students opportunities to practise leadership, communication and collaboration in situations that are difficult to reduce to exam results.

Universities also need ways to make those experiences legible to employers. Kong pointed to SMU’s co-curricular transcript, introduced in 2025, as a mechanism for showing the qualities and characteristics students have developed alongside their academic record.

This makes practical experience more than a line on a résumé. A strong graduate profile may combine technical knowledge, evidence of applying it, and examples of working with people or navigating unfamiliar environments.

Reskilling cannot stop at the point of hiring

Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow said Singapore must shift from relying mainly on pre-employment preparation to supporting reskilling during people’s working lives. He linked that transition to the goal of avoiding “jobless growth”, while acknowledging that greater job churn is likely as technology changes roles and industries.

The responsibility therefore extends across the labour market. Students need opportunities to build experience before graduation. Universities need to develop and document transferable capabilities. Employers need to create routes for people to learn on the job, and public policy needs to help workers move into new roles when existing ones change.

The official session description framed the challenge in similar terms: entry-level opportunities are shrinking, mid-career roles are evolving and the risk of deskilling is rising. It called for collective action to make the AI-driven future of work meaningful and inclusive, rather than treating automation as a question for businesses or individuals alone.

Flexibility may matter more than a single career plan

Siow advised students not to be overly prescriptive about one career path. Skills that were highly valuable only a few years ago can change quickly, making it harder to identify a single “safe” route through working life.

His outlook was nevertheless optimistic. If Singapore sustains a thriving economy and a strong education system, workers who change direction may find more opportunities rather than fewer—even if there are fewer conventional paths that appear safe at the outset.

For graduates, the practical lesson is to build a portfolio of experience rather than wait for one perfect first job. For employers, it is to assess potential and learning ability alongside existing experience. And for universities, it is to treat human development and lifelong adaptability as core outcomes, not optional extras.

AI may make the first rung of the career ladder harder to reach. The panel’s broader argument was that Singapore can still create opportunity if people are prepared to keep moving, learning and changing as the ladder itself is redesigned.