Organisations in Singapore tightens AI governance to build trust in the 2026 workplace

Organisations in Singapore and around the world are rethinking how work is designed, managed, and governed as AI becomes a core feature of the modern workplace. According to ADP’s 2026 HR Trends Guide, employers are strengthening HR capabilities through agentic AI, placing greater emphasis on skills-based workforce strategies, and tightening governance frameworks to ensure transparency, compliance, and trust.

The guide highlighted how HR leaders are increasingly working alongside IT teams to integrate advanced AI systems into everyday people processes. This closer collaboration is seen as critical to ensuring AI tools are deployed responsibly, securely, and in ways that enhance, rather than replace, human decision-making.

Jessica Zhang, Senior Vice-President of Asia-Pacific for ADP, said the workplace of 2026 will be shaped by a balance between intelligent technologies and human capabilities. “The workplace of 2026 will be intelligent, interconnected, and human-centric. Technologies such as AI are becoming integral to daily operations and will continue to shape how work is done across Singapore,” she said. “With Smart Nation efforts, Singapore is well-positioned to play a larger role in regional AI development.”

At the same time, Zhang noted that AI will fundamentally change how organisations build skills, design roles, and manage HR processes. “To succeed in 2026 and beyond, employers must invest in the right platforms, training, and workforce strategies so their people can grow with the technology and drive meaningful business outcomes,” she added.

The guide positions AI not as a future experiment, but as an emerging core capability for HR operations. Findings from ADP’s Potential of Payroll 2025 Report show that 51% of organisations in Singapore already view AI as important to improving payroll productivity.

Looking ahead, agentic AI is expected to play a larger role in automating and coordinating complex HR tasks. These include streamlining onboarding steps, validating data, generating real-time managerial insights, and reducing errors in data-intensive processes such as payroll. By handling multistep workflows and adapting to real-world variability, agentic AI has the potential to free HR teams to focus on higher-value work.

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However, the guide stresses that automation must be paired with strong governance. Singapore’s Model AI Governance Framework, which emphasises transparency, fairness, and human-centric design, is increasingly relevant in employment contexts. Employers are being encouraged to ensure AI systems rely on secure, high-quality data, produce explainable outputs, and are subject to human review at critical decision points.

Amin Venjara, Chief Data Officer for ADP, elaborated, “Agentic AI unlocks new frontiers of automation, coordinating multistep work and adapting to real-world variability. Human oversight provides purpose and guardrails, clarifying objectives, approving critical actions, and reviewing impacts. Together, they deliver scalable automation that’s trustworthy, compliant, and resilient when conditions change.”

Beyond technology, the guide highlighted a growing shift towards skills-based workforce planning. Only 23% of employees in Singapore feel they have the skills needed to advance their careers, prompting employers to map workforce capabilities, redesign roles, and leverage technology to better match talent with business needs.

Payroll transparency is also rising on the HR agenda, with 35% of organisations in Singapore planning improvements in the next two to three years. As cross-border teams become more common across Asia, the guide added that employers must also strengthen multijurisdictional compliance while balancing consistency with local regulatory requirements.