Labour chief Ng Chee Meng to be Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office
Chin Soo Fang
The Straits Times
July 22, 2026
Labour chief Ng Chee Meng will be appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office from July 27.
Announcing this and other cabinet changes at the National Press Centre on July 22, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said jobs and workforce transformation have become a much higher priority for the Government.
“I felt given the concerns about the economic and workforce challenges we face, it was timely for him to return to the Goverment, to return to Cabinet, and contribute not just as Secretary-General of NTUC, but as the Minister in my team,” he added.
“I think he will be able to make a more impactful contribution to tackle the national challenge which we face. So I approached him, and he agreed to do so.”
PM Wong noted that the issue of jobs has come up frequently in Parliament, and that Ng had put forth a motion about artificial intelligence and jobs. He added that Ng had settled in his ward at Jalan Kayu and spent time working hard on the ground there in the past year.
In the 2025 General Election, Ng won the newly carved-out Jalan Kayu single seat with 51.47 per cent of the vote, beating WP fresh face Andre Low in a tight contest.
But three days after the May 3 polls, Ng said in a statement that he had asked PM Wong not to assign him any position in government.
PM Wong said then that he respected Ng’s wishes not to be offered a position in government so that he could focus on his work in NTUC and Jalan Kayu.
But he also added that he looks forward to “having the labour chief being part of the Cabinet before too long”.
The secretary-general of the NTUC has traditionally held a position in the Cabinet, starting with Lim Chee Onn, who was appointed as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office in 1980.
Ng, who has been NTUC secretary-general since 2018, was the first labour chief in decades to not hold a Cabinet position.
He was chief of defence force before entering politics in 2015, when he won in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC as part of a PAP team.
He went on to hold several Cabinet positions, including education minister (schools) and second minister for transport. In 2020, he helmed the PAP team to contest the newly created Sengkang GRC, but lost to a WP team.
In a media statement issued on July 22, Ng thanked PM Wong for his trust and confidence in inviting him to serve in Cabinet.
“I am humbled by this appointment and accept it with a strong sense of responsibility,” Ng said.
He said that a capable team has been built in Jalan Kayu over the past year to serve residents.
They have helped improve infrastructure, with more sheltered linkways, upgraded playgrounds and fitness corners, sports facilities, new bus services and ongoing LRT enhancements, he said.
On the labour movement, Ng said its priority is to prepare the workforce for AI-led business transformation.
NTUC is working towards an AI transition with no jobless growth, he added.
He highlighted its AI-Ready SG initiative that helps workers - including professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) - upskill and navigate these changes, as well as the Tripartite Jobs Council.
The Tripartite Jobs Council, comprising NTUC, the Ministry of Manpower, and employers’ trade union Singapore National Employers Federation, aims to double down on plans to upskill workers, and help companies redesign jobs and adopt new tools, amid a disruption driven by AI.
NTUC’s AI-Ready SG is an initiative driven by the NTUC Job Security Council to help workers thrive in an AI-enabled future, including equipping workers with AI relevant skills.
“As NTUC Secretary-General and a Cabinet Minister, I will continue to champion better wages, welfare and work prospects for workers,” Ng said. “Being in Cabinet means I can work even more closely with the Government to support workers and Singapore’s progress, alongside unions and employers.”
In a statement issued on July 22, NTUC’s central committee said it is heartened that PM Wong has invited Ng to join the Cabinet, and that he has accepted.
It thanked PM Wong for recognising Ng’s “continued service, commitment and contributions to both residents and workers, and for entrusting him with this important responsibility as a Cabinet Minister”.
It added that Ng’s return to Cabinet will “strengthen the voice of workers in national policymaking at a time when Singapore is navigating significant economic transformation, technological disruption and workforce change”.
“We also welcome his new appointment as a recognition of the critical role that our labour movement plays in Singapore’s governance and economic development,” it said.
“This appointment underscores the Government’s commitment to tripartite partnerships and ensures that the perspectives, concerns and aspirations of our Singapore workers continue to be represented in the Cabinet.”
NTUC said that as a former Cabinet Minister and current NTUC Secretary-General, Ng brings both national policy experience and a deep understanding of workers’ concerns gathered through his engagement with unions, workers, employers and tripartite partners.
“We are confident that he will continue to champion workers’ interests while contributing to Singapore’s broader progress and development.”
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