In 2024, fresh out of polytechnic and brimming with ambition, I threw myself into the job hunt.
After applying to jobs a countless number of times, it wasn’t until a year later that I finally landed a position. It looks like I wasn’t the only one facing challenges last year, though.
Fewer polytechnic graduates in Singapore secured employment in 2024, according to the latest Graduate Employment Survey (GES) released on Jan 13, 2025.
However, more of them received higher pay, with humanities graduates commanding the highest salaries across the different courses.
Worrying unemployment rate
According to the survey, 87.5% of polytechnic graduates in the workforce found permanent, freelance, or part-time jobs within six months of graduation or after completing full-time national service.
This marks the first time the figure has slid below 90% since 2020, amid COVID-19 disruptions to the job market.
Only 54.6% of the graduates secured full-time permanent jobs in 2024, compared with almost 60% in 2023 and 59% in 2022.
5.9% were freelancing and 27% were in part‐time or temporary employment. As in previous years, about half of the latter indicated that they were pursuing or preparing to begin further studies.
Worryingly, the unemployment rate of fresh polytechnic graduates sharply rose from 7.3% in 2023 to 12.5% in 2024—a figure comparable to the 12.6% recorded in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
This underscores a challenging labour market for fresh graduates despite Singapore’s 4% economic growth in 2024, a marked improvement from 1.2% in 2023.
But higher salaries
There is some good news, though.
Despite the decline in job placements, salaries have been rising for those employed.
The median gross monthly salary for graduates in full-time permanent jobs was S$2,900—a S$100 increase from last year.
Humanities and social sciences graduates led the way with a median salary of S$3,038, followed by health sciences and information and digital technologies graduates, both earning S$3,000.
Meanwhile, arts and sciences grads rounded up the bottom, producing graduates with a median salary of S$2,625 and S$2,600 respectively.
Equipping students with necessary skills
Despite the declining employment rates, Dr Maliki Osman, Second Minister of Education, responded to the survey results with optimism.
In a Facebook post on Jan 13, he shared that the GES survey showcases graduates’ “resilience and adaptability in an ever-changing world.”
“It’s encouraging to note that our graduates are commanding higher salaries across various sectors.”
On the other hand, Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal and Chief Executive of Singapore Polytechnic, acknowledged the evolving landscape, stating that the institution is actively working to equip students with the skills and adaptability needed to navigate the job market.
“This includes strengthening industry partnerships to provide real-world experience, integrating AI (artificial intelligence) literacy into our curriculum, and enhancing career guidance and support services,” he added on behalf of the Polytechnic Graduate Employment Survey committee.
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Feature Image Credit: NYP via Facebook
