Singapore graduate employment rates improve within one year of graduation

Education Minister Desmond Lee and Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau reported that many Singaporean graduates who were unemployed six months after finishing school found work or further education by their one-year mark.

The Ministry of Education used administrative data to show that about seven in 10 university graduates who lacked jobs at six months secured positions within a year. Similar trends appeared for other tertiary tracks.

About eight in 10 polytechnic graduates who were unemployed at six months found paid work or enrolled in full-time studies at local institutes of higher learning within a year. For graduates from the Institute of Technical Education, the figure reached nine in 10. The government noted that these figures provide a broader view of the job market, as some graduates may take longer to find positions due to cautious hiring and fewer job vacancies.

While the data shows an improvement in employment outcomes, the ministry explained it cannot track the specific status of every graduate at the 12-month mark. Some graduates without records might be working as freelancers, studying at private institutions, or working overseas. Acting Minister Jasmin Lau shared that the unemployment rate for 2025 autonomous university graduates dropped from 16.6% at the six-month mark to 7% at the one-year mark.

For graduates from private education institutions, the rate fell from 24.1% to 7.1%. Polytechnic graduates saw their unemployment rate decrease from 12.8% to 3.2%. The ministry noted that high unemployment at the six-month mark was most common in sciences, engineering, and arts, design and media clusters.