NUS Social Service Research Centre

New research by NUS Department of Social Work highlights an emerging divide - lower-educated young Singaporean workers are falling behind in AI proficiency compared to their higher-educated peers, widening the bifurcation between white and blue-collar jobs.

These workers face barriers: limited workplace exposure to AI, less access to devices conducive for learning, and jobs where the technology doesn't yet feel relevant. The real risk isn’t immediate job loss but being locked out of future advancement opportunities.

Breaking this cycle requires action at multiple levels, say researchers Prof Irene Y.H. Ng, Tan Zhi Han, V. Deepa and Aaron Lim. Employers can integrate AI into frontline workflows; community organisations can support AI literacy through coaching and peer learning; and we must recognise the value of blue-collar work itself.

As Singapore pushes to become an AI leader, broad-based AI literacy is both an economic imperative and social mobility imperative. NUS Social Service Research Centre

Read more at: news.nus.edu.sg/the-singaporean-workers-who-feel-ai-has-nothing-to-do-with-them/

Young people who faced childhood adversities like abuse more likely to struggle at work: Study There is a need for employers to address the potential impact that adverse childhood experiences have in the workplace. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Registration for SSR's next online seminar on 17 June is still ongoing!

Find out more and sign up now: https://tinyurl.com/skoreaecoswk

SSR's next webinar is happening on 17 June, 10 a.m. (Singapore time)!

Come hear from Dr Kang Joonmo, Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas, as he speaks about climate justice and social work based on his research on Jjokbang-chon, a slum neighbourhood in Seoul. This event will be moderated by Dr Tan Shin Bin, Assistant Professor at LKYSPP, NUS.

Find out more and register here: https://tinyurl.com/skoreaecoswk

SSR's May 2026 seminar recording is now available on YouTube!

Hear from A/P Paul Wong from the University of Hong Kong, examining the issue of youth mental health - in particular, whether there is a link between suicidality and social withdrawal tendencies/behaviours.

This seminar session took place over Zoom on 20 May 2026.

Access the seminar here:

SSR Seminar | Youth mental health – suicidality, social withdrawal tendencies and behaviour Watch the recording of the presentation portion of SSR's May 2026 s...

SSR's next webinar is happening on 17 June, 10 a.m. (Singapore time)!

Come hear from Dr Kang Joonmo, Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas, as he speaks about climate justice and social work based on his research on Jjokbang-chon, a slum neighbourhood in Seoul. This event will be moderated by Dr Tan Shin Bin, Assistant Professor at LKYSPP, NUS.

Find out more and register here: https://tinyurl.com/skoreaecoswk

The recording for SSR's April 2026 seminar is now available on YouTube!

Hear from Dr Harry Tan from the Institute of Policy Studies, NUS, as he presented on the issue of ending long-term homelessness. The session was moderated by Mr Abraham Yeo from the Homeless Hearts of Singapore, whose opening remarks are available in the recording.

Learn more here:

NUS Social Service Research Centre SSR Seminar (April 2026) | Ending Long-term Homelessness in Singapore

Register now for SSR's next webinar, examining the issue of youth mental health.

This presentation by A/P Paul Wong from The University of Hong Kong will look at whether there is a link between suicidality and social withdrawal tendencies.

Find out more and register now: https://tinyurl.com/youthmentalhealthssr

SSR held a seminar on 15 April 2026, featuring Dr Harry Tan from the Institute of Policy Studies, NUS, who shared findings from his recently launched report on ending long-term homelessness. The event was moderated by Mr Abraham Yeo from Homeless Hearts of Singapore.

Click through to see what went down at the event.

The recording of the presentation will be uploaded soon, so look out for it too!

Our March 2026 seminar, featuring speakers from the Empowered Families Initiative and Kampong Kapor Community Services, is now on YouTube!

Held on March 25, 2026, this seminar brings together practitioners and participants of the programme in a dialogue session to provide a comprehensive view of EFI from both perspectives.

Watch the seminar here:

SSR Seminar Mar 2026 | From Case Management to Community Empowerment: Embedding EFI in SW Practice Hear from the speakers from Empowered Families Initiative and Kampong Kapor Community Services as they share their experience of embedding the EFI programme ...

What does it take to sustain well-being and build future-ready communities?

In our proceedings of the NUS SSR-TOUCH Conference 2025, we bring together perspectives on empowering caregivers, advancing disability inclusion, and leveraging technology and AI to strengthen social services.

Featuring insights across social services, academia, healthcare, and philanthropy, this publication underscores how cross-sector partnerships and practice-oriented, evidence-based research can translate knowledge into meaningful impact.

We invite you to read the proceedings and learn about various initiatives for advancing well-being here:https://fass.nus.edu.sg/ssr/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/03/SSR_TOUCH_Proceedings_Final.pdf

TOUCH Community Services