New ideas like portfolio careers and fractional job design were raised and discussed during a design thinking workshop co-organised by NTUC, Singapore University of Social Sciences – Institute for Adult Learning (SUSS IAL), and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) on 8 May 2026. Part of the development of SUSS IAL's Working Paper 6 on Skills-First, this workshop was facilitated by LAB leader Mr Poon King Wang of SUTD, and organised by Dr Gog Soon Joo and Dr Yang Silin.
Around 40 experts, practitioners, and stakeholders from across the labour landscape, including LAB leader Prof Trevor Yu, gathered to generate insights and recommendations that will help inform the Working Paper. They also support LAB’s wider efforts to develop practical, informed strategies to better support workers.
Skills-first is an approach to workforce planning and development that examines how we can move beyond traditional credential-focused models towards systems that place greater emphasis on skills recognition, adaptability, and lifelong learning. Participants exchanged perspectives on how a skills-first economy could help mitigate risks from an increasingly volatile economy while improving job mobility. They also explored how employers, unions, educators, and policymakers can work more closely together to strengthen the necessary infrastructure, policies, and pathways for a skills-first economy.
The workshop underscored LAB's commitment to engaging with new perspectives and partnerships by creating space for dialogue between academia, labour, and practice. Looking ahead, LAB and its partners intend to continue deepening these engagements to actively pilot and shape solutions that will define the future of work.