SINGAPORE: Fresh graduates from Singapore’s universities are taking longer to secure stable jobs, with full-time employment rates falling for the third year in a row.
A joint graduate employment survey released on March 5 showed that 83.4% of graduates from Singapore’s six autonomous universities found work within six months of finishing their final exams in 2025, Vulcan Post reports, adding that the figure has slipped from 87.1% in 2024 and continues a gradual decline that began after 2021.
The sharper drop appeared in full-time roles, with only 74.4% of employed graduates securing full-time jobs last year, down from 79.4% in 2024. The figure has been sliding since 2022, reflecting a cooling job market after the strong hiring rebound that followed the pandemic.
Although more graduates applied for work in 2025, a growing number did not receive job offers. The survey found that 8.5% of graduates who actively searched for jobs had no offers within six months. That share stood at 5.7% in 2024 and 4.1% in 2023. At the same time, temporary and part-time work is becoming more common among new graduates. About 7.2% of the cohort held such roles in 2025, up from 6% in 2024 and 4.1% in 2023.
The survey covered graduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). Around 14,400 graduates responded, representing 73.7% of the cohort.
Even with slower hiring, most graduates are still choosing to enter the workforce. About 92.2% joined the labour force in 2025 instead of pursuing further studies or taking time off. The share was slightly lower at 90.7% in 2024.
In a joint press release, the universities said hiring has become more cautious as job vacancies settle after the post-pandemic surge. They noted that firms are filling fewer roles as job turnover slows and global economic uncertainty weighs on hiring decisions. Sectors tied to global demand, such as information and communications, have shown softer hiring compared with earlier years.
Yet the demand for certain skills remains steady, as labour market data from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), cited by The Business Times, show that about 40% of entry-level vacancies are in growth sectors like financial services and professional services. Roles include risk analysts, financial compliance officers, and auditors.
Graduates trained in information and digital technologies still enjoy strong hiring outcomes. Their full-time employment rates ranged from 78% to 89%, including graduates from the health sciences and the built environment.
Salary levels have remained stable despite the softer hiring process. The median gross monthly salary for graduates who got employed within six months stayed at S$4,500 in 2025.
Information and digital technologies graduates continued to earn the highest starting pay, with a median salary of S$5,500, unchanged from 2024.
The universities also noted that graduate employment tends to improve after the six-month mark, as past surveys show that more graduates find stable roles as the year progresses. For those still searching for jobs, universities offer career coaching and job fairs, while Workforce Singapore and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)’s Employment and Employability Institute provide job matching services.
New pathways have also emerged, with programmes such as the Graduate Industry Traineeships and the GRIT@Gov initiative, launched in October 2025, offering short-term placements designed to help graduates gain experience while the job market steadies.
For many new graduates, the path into the workforce remains open, but it’s just taking a little longer than before.
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