The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) was established in 1961.It was formerly known as the Singapore Trade Union Congress (STUC), which was established in 1951.

In 1961, there was personnel movement in the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), which resulted in the dissolution of the STUC. Members who supported the PAP went on to establish the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in September that year. 

In the 1970s, NTUC established various social enterprises, such as NTUC Income, NTUC Comfort, and NTUC Fairprice (formerly known as NTUC Welcome), to provide workers with affordable insurance and ensure that they have a lower cost of living. 

NTUC also supports the government’s economic policies. With the gradual decline in labour-intensive industries, workers without basic education faced employment issues. Thus, the labour movement offered training classes for such workers and established childcare facilities in HDB blocks and office areas for the welfare of their families. 

In 1990, NTUC established the Singapore Institute of Labour Studies (SILS), which was later renamed the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Institute in 2002. It was then merged with the NTUC Leadership Training Institute and renamed once more to the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (otherwise known as the OTCi).

In 2008, NTUC officially launched the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), which provides training and job opportunities to job seekers.