A survey conducted by the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, and Singapore University of Social Sciences found that more graduates remained jobless six months after leaving school in 2022, though median salaries went up, particularly for technology-related jobs.

Out of the 10,700 fresh graduates surveyed in the 2022 Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey, which was released on Monday, February 20, 93.8% were employed within six months of completing their final examinations, down from 94.4% in 2021. This is the first such drop since 2017 when the employment rate of fresh graduates also dropped by a similar margin.

87.5% of those who found employment in 2022 secured a full-time job, an increase from 84% in 2021. The proportion of those who were freelancing rose slightly from 1.7% in 2021 to 1.8% in 2022, while the proportion of graduates in part-time or temporary employment decreased to 4.5% from 8.7% in 2021.

The survey also found that the median gross monthly salary among fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment increased from S$3,800 in 2021 to S$4,200 in 2022. The information and digital technologies course cluster saw the most significant increase in median gross monthly salary, from S$5,000 in 2021 to S$5,625 in 2022.

Furthermore, a follow-up survey conducted on close to 800 graduates in courses that require post-graduate practical training found fewer graduates employed after the completion of their practical training in 2022, compared to 2021. The proportion in 2022 was 97.4%, down from 98.1% in 2021. 94.9% of them secured a full-time job, compared to 96% in 2021, and another 0.8% were freelancing, compared to 0.3% in 2021. The median gross monthly salary of those in full-time permanent employment increased to S$5,500 in 2022, compared to S$5,000 in 2021.

Surveys conducted by the Singapore Institute of Technology and Singapore University of Technology and Design are ongoing, and the results will be released at a later date.

Source: Channel News Asia