NTUC membership surpasses 1.4 million ahead of May Day

SINGAPORE - The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) now has more than 1.4 million members, its secretary-general, Mr Ng Chee Meng, said on April 20.

The number has grown by more than 55 per cent, up from over 900,000 memberships when he took on the labour chief role. The labour movement has set a goal of reaching 1.5 million members by 2030.

Mr Ng joined NTUC as deputy secretary-general in April 2018, before getting elected as secretary-general a month later.

“We have made a real impact on workers’ wages, welfare and work prospects. But we cannot rest,” Mr Ng said in a press statement. “We know the global situation is increasingly uncertain, with the tariff war between the US and other countries.”

NTUC is part of the national task force set up to help affected businesses and workers navigate the uncertainties sparked by US tariffs on Singapore goods, and it is closely monitoring the situation. It has pledged to intensify efforts and step up measures should the need arise.

Speaking at the first press conference of the

Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce

on April 16, Mr Ng acknowledged the anxieties faced by union leaders, specifically about the direct impact of the US tariffs on Singapore’s electronics, chemicals, logistics and transport sectors. 

Out of 200 union leaders polled, 11 per cent had heard about possible retrenchments, with 50 per cent worrying about rising production costs.

The tariffs are expected to weigh on Singapore’s economy, impacting domestic jobs and wages, particularly those in export-reliant sectors.

In the press statement on April 20, ahead of May Day on May 1, NTUC highlighted its various achievements in improving the lives of youth; professionals, managers and executives (PMEs); caregivers; older individuals; and vulnerable groups like platform workers and lower-income earners.

To support older workers in accessing employment opportunities, NTUC had supported the Government in raising the statutory retirement and re-employment ages.

In another example, it stated how its Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant encourages businesses to conduct more employer-led training, empowering companies to create a more ergonomic work environment for older workers.

The initiative has helped over 7,400 workers, including PMEs and the rank-and-file, receive an average 5 per cent wage increase above their annual increment.

One of the older workers who benefited from training and job redesign is Mr Tan Kim San. After retiring in 2022, the 70-year-old former mechanical technician found retirement life “too slow”, and was bored.

“I missed the structure of a daily routine, the sense of accomplishment from solving problems and the chance to keep learning,” he said. In 2024, Mr Tan was re-employed by Sunyi Precision Engineering and underwent training using the CTC Grant to learn how to operate a new machine.

The transition saw him go from doing manual operator duties to overseeing automated processes and quality monitoring.

Besides workers’ training, NTUC said that its affiliated unions have helped workers receive workplace support ranging from career coaching, job matching and workplace protection, to wage progression, negotiation and financial help.

Ms Nur Khairin Firzanah is among the new entrants to the job market who have benefited from NTUC programmes. The 20-year-old joined NTUC’s mentorship programmes to help her navigate the workplace and expand her professional network.

The Institute of Technical Education graduate is currently working part-time and plans to pursue a work-study diploma.

She said that the content shared during mentoring sessions gave her a clearer idea of her career goals. “Things like career guidance, navigating the early stages of working life and learning how to build soft skills that aren’t always taught in school,” she said.

NTUC said its advocacy efforts since 2014 in pushing for short-term financial support for the involuntarily unemployed are bearing fruit, leading to the recently launched SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme. Through this government initiative, eligible applicants can receive temporary payouts of up to $6,000 over six months.

It noted that its Job Security Council, which was created during the Covid-19 pandemic to help displaced workers during the economic downturn, has placed over 110,000 workers from February 2020 to November 2024, including PMEs.

NTUC pledges to continue encouraging workers to join and partner the labour movement, unions and associations, given the shifting economic landscapes and workforce demands. There are 58 unions and 27 NTUC e2i career and job services to support workers’ needs. 

“We will continue to journey alongside workers and provide the necessary resources to support them in navigating their careers and future,” said Mr Ng.