On 25th November 1978 in Singapore, the 5 founding member Employers' Organisations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, firmly supporting the fundamental objectives of ASEAN in its pursuits of effective measure for regional economic co-operation, declared their agreement to unite and establish the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE). The objectives of ACE are to optimize liaison, co-operation and representation in the fields of
labour and social legislation, industrial relations and practices.

The founding member Employers’ Organisations are: Employers’ Association of Indonesia (APINDO), Employers Confederation of The Philippines (ECOP), Employers Confederation of Thailand (ECOT), Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF). On 16 February 2004, the Cambodian Federation of Employers & Business Associations (CAMFEBA) became a member of ACE.

The affairs of ACE are governed and administered by a Board of Directors comprising a duly authorized representative from each member.