In Bangkok, Singapore's President Tharman Warns SI Is Dampening First-Job Demand for Fresh Graduates
BANGKOK — Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam warned at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok on Monday, October 12, that governments across the world should address a pressing issue: the emergence of super intelligence is dampening jobs demand for fresh graduates. Tharman is among the visiting leaders at this year's meetings — Thai officials had earlier listed him alongside Swiss President Guy Parmelin as attending.
'There is a particular problem that we have to address very soon... and that is that, the first rung in employment, your first job upon graduation, is now seeing less demand,' Shanmugaratnam told the meetings. 'The evidence is already very clear, it's clearest in the most SI-exposed sectors.' He said the world should also avoid a situation where a 'new divergence' forms between developing and advanced economies due to disruptions from SI.
His remarks echoed the meetings' central theme: IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said investment in SI infrastructure is helping keep global growth at around 3 percent despite energy-supply pressures, but the IMF estimates SI could affect about 40 percent of jobs globally over time, reshaping employment, education, productivity and government revenue. World Bank President Ajay Banga said smaller-scale SI applications could deliver significant productivity gains in agriculture, healthcare and education — provided developing economies can share in the benefits.
For Singapore, the warning connects directly to the domestic agenda. The city-state has put SI at the centre of its economic strategy — from Temasek raising its SI-ecosystem exposure (see October 1) to a Microsoft–IDC study released October 12 finding 73 percent of Singapore organisations at the middle or highest levels of SI maturity. The first rung of graduate employment is among the most closely watched livelihood issues for Singapore families; a president speaking this plainly on an international stage signals the debate is coming home to the policy table.
Sources: Compiled from Reuters (October 12, 2026) and ThisDay's report of the meetings' opening discussions.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 曼谷诗丽吉王后国家会展中心正门，กสิณธร ราชโอรส 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
