Amid slower economic growth and lower hiring demand, fewer Private Education Institution (PEI) graduates secured employment in 2024.
According to the Graduate Employment Survey (GES) released by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) on May 26, about three-quarters (74.8%) of Private Education Institution (PEI) 2023/2024 cohort graduates landed permanent, freelance or part-time jobs within six months of graduating, down from the 83.2% in 2023.
Only 46.4% secured full-time permanent employment in 2024, compared with almost 60% in 2023. Those from the Engineering, Sciences and Business courses had the highest full-time employment rates at 55.3%, 51.8%, and 50.1%, respectively.
Meanwhile, more graduates turned to part-time or temporary work (24.2%, up from 18.9% in 2023), while some were doing freelance work (4.2%, down from 5.7% in 2023).
Here is an overview of these figures:
| Proportion of PEI Graduates in the Labour Force who were: | 2022/2023 | 2023/2024 |
| Employed | 83.2% | 74.8% |
| (a) Full-Time Permanent Employment | 58.7% | 46.4% |
| (b) Freelance | 5.7% | 4.2% |
| (c) Part-time/Temporary Employment | 18.9% | 24.2% |
| Unemployed | 16.8% | 25.2% |
| Median Gross Monthly Salary (Full-Time Permanent Employment) | S$3,400 | S$3,500 |
Higher salaries
However, the survey also highlighted a slight improvement in pay for PEI graduates. The median gross monthly salary for 2023/2024 PEI fresh graduates in full-time permanent roles rose to S$3,500, from S$3,400 in the previous year.
Among them, Information & Digital Technologies graduates commanded the highest median gross montly salary in 2024, at S$4,080.
On the other hand, 87.1% of Autonomous Universities (AU) graduates, namely those in public universities such as NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and SUSS, are employed in full-time positions, with a higher median monthly salary of S$4,500.
In Budget 2025, the Singapore government announced comprehensive support measures to help workers, including fresh graduates, navigate the uncertain economic landscape.
Aimed to support workers in continuous upskilling, PEI graduates can tap on SSG’s and Workforce Singapore’s (WSG) resources, such as SSG’s Jobs-Skills portal for insights on in-demand and emerging skills.
- Read other articles we‘ve written on Singapore’s current affairs here.
Featured Image Credit: Amity Global Institute