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More S’pore university, polytechnic graduates land jobs by the one-year mark after leaving school

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In short

Fresh tertiary graduates in Singapore experienced substantial drops in unemployment between the six-month and one-year marks following their final examinations. Data shared by government ministers highlighted that roughly 70 percent of unemployed university alumni and 80 percent of polytechnic graduates found employment within a year. However, initial entry was uneven, as 2025 autonomous university graduates in sciences, engineering, and arts, design and media faced early unemployment rates between 19.9 percent and 22.5 percent. Tracking remains limited regarding job quality, as official records cannot separate permanent positions from temporary or freelance arrangements.

Key points

  • Initial hiring slowdowns were attributed by autonomous universities to cautious recruitme…: Initial hiring slowdowns were attributed by autonomous universities to cautious recruitment, geopolitical tensions, and a moderation of job vacancies.
  • Autonomous university graduates in sciences, engineering, and arts disciplines experience…: Autonomous university graduates in sciences, engineering, and arts disciplines experienced the highest initial unemployment rates.
  • The Ministry of Education noted administrative records do not distinguish between tempora…: The Ministry of Education noted administrative records do not distinguish between temporary roles, permanent positions, freelancing, or overseas employment.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

- Seven in 10 university graduates who were unemployed after six months found jobs by one year, showing better outcomes for fresh graduates in Singapore.

- Polytechnic and ITE graduates also improved, with about eight in 10 and nine in 10, respectively, in work or further study by the one-year mark.

- Ministers said weaker hiring and fewer vacancies slowed job searches, while some graduates may be studying, freelancing, or working overseas.

AI generated

SINGAPORE - About seven in 10 university graduates who were unemployed six months after their final examinations had found jobs by the one-year mark, according to new government data.

In a written parliamentary response on Nov 3, Education Minister Desmond Lee noted similar improvements across the graduates from other tertiary tracks who were unemployed at six months.

Among polytechnic graduates who were unemployed six months after graduation, about eight in 10 had found paid work or enrolled in full-time studies at local institutes of higher learning by the one-year mark.

The corresponding figure for Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates was nine in 10.

Lee was…

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