Employment Rates of Polytechnic Graduates Remain High in 2023
Post Date: 17 Jan 2024
Singapore, 12 January 2024 – The 2023 Polytechnic Graduate Employment Survey (GES)[1] found that 92.7% of polytechnic graduates in the labour force were employed within six months of graduation or after completion of full-time National Service, comparable to the 91.8% in 2022 (see Table 1). The median gross monthly salary among graduates in full-time permanent employment increased from $2,600 in 2022 to $2,800 in 2023.
Among the 5,914 polytechnic graduate survey respondents in the labour force, 59.8% were in full-time permanent employment, 28.0% were in part‐time/temporary employment, and 3.1% had either accepted a job offer or were actively starting a business venture. Consistent with previous years, majority of the polytechnic graduates in part-time/temporary employment did so voluntarily, with about half of them concurrently pursuing or preparing to begin further studies.
Table 1: Employment Indicators from 2021 to 2023
Proportion of Respondents in the Labour Force who were: |
Fresh Graduates |
Post-NS (PNS) Graduates |
Combined (Fresh and PNS Graduates) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|
Employed |
91.4% |
91.4% |
91.7% |
94.2% |
92.7% |
95.1% |
92.2% |
91.8% |
92.7% |
In Full-Time Permanent Employment |
56.0% |
56.1% |
55.5% |
63.3% |
65.4% |
69.2% |
58.1% |
59.0% |
59.8% |
Freelancing |
3.4% |
4.0% |
3.9% |
7.8% |
10.1% |
7.3% |
4.7% |
5.9% |
5.0% |
In Part-Time/Temporary Employment |
31.9% |
31.3% |
32.3% |
23.2% |
17.2% |
18.5% |
29.4% |
26.9% |
28.0% |
Voluntary |
30.3% |
30.2% |
30.8% |
20.9% |
16.2% |
17.7% |
27.6% |
25.8% |
26.7% |
Involuntary |
1.6% |
1.1% |
1.5% |
2.3% |
1.0% |
0.8% |
1.8% |
1.1% |
1.3% |
Unemployed |
8.6% |
8.6% |
8.3% |
5.8% |
7.3% |
4.9% |
7.8% |
8.2% |
7.3% |
Unemployed but starting work soon or actively starting a business venture |
2.9% |
2.3% |
3.6% |
1.4% |
2.2% |
1.9% |
2.5% |
2.2% |
3.1% |
Unemployed and still looking for a job |
5.7% |
6.3% |
4.7% |
4.4% |
5.1% |
3.0% |
5.3% |
5.9% |
4.2% |
The GES is jointly conducted by Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic.
Note: The percentages may not add up due to rounding off.
Across all course clusters, the median gross monthly salaries of graduates continue to increase compared to the previous years’ graduating class. The median gross monthly salary of graduates from Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities & Social Sciences and Information & Digital Technologies were comparable or higher than the overall median for all graduates. (see Table 2).
Table 2: Median Gross Monthly Salary by Course Clusters (Full-Time Permanent Employed Graduates only) from 2021 to 2023
Course Cluster |
Fresh Graduates |
Post-NS (PNS) Graduates |
Combined (Fresh and PNS Graduates) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|
Overall |
$2,400 |
$2,550 |
$2,700 |
$2,614 |
$2,800 |
$2,963 |
$2,500 |
$2,600 |
$2,800 |
Arts, Design & Media |
$2,100 |
$2,300 |
$2,500 |
$2,500 |
$2,625 |
$2,800 |
$2,200 |
$2,500 |
$2,600 |
Built Environment |
$2,350 |
$2,500 |
$2,500 |
$2,550 |
$2,800 |
$2,800 |
$2,400 |
$2,535 |
$2,640 |
Business |
$2,200 |
$2,500 |
$2,600 |
$2,519 |
$2,890 |
$3,000 |
$2,300 |
$2,500 |
$2,700 |
Engineering |
$2,400 |
$2,550 |
$2,629 |
$2,700 |
$2,850 |
$2,900 |
$2,500 |
$2,700 |
$2,800 |
Health Sciences |
$2,625 |
$2,852 |
$3,000 |
$2,800 |
$2,860 |
$3,069 |
$2,650 |
$2,854 |
$3,000 |
Humanities & Social Sciences |
$2,500 |
$2,600 |
$2,900 |
$2,500 |
$2,800 |
$2,970 |
$2,500 |
$2,600 |
$2,913 |
Information & Digital Technologies |
$2,500 |
$2,700 |
$2,700 |
$2,700 |
$2,880 |
$3,000 |
$2,600 |
$2,747 |
$2,900 |
Sciences |
$2,200 |
$2,250 |
$2,340 |
$2,607 |
$2,570 |
$2,980 |
$2,250 |
$2,300 |
$2,500 |
Fresh Graduates
8,065 out of 10,757 fresh graduates in 2023 responded to the survey. As of 1 October 2023, around six months after graduation, 50.4% of the respondents were in the labour force. 49.0% were pursuing or preparing to begin further studies and hence were not actively looking for jobs. Most of the remaining 0.7% of the respondents said that they were taking a break and were not seeking employment.
Post-National Service Graduates
5,055 out of 8,739 graduates from 2020 who completed their full-time National Service (NS) between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023 responded to the survey. 36.6% of respondents were in the labour force. 63.1% were pursuing or preparing to begin further studies, and hence were not actively looking for jobs. Similar to the fresh graduates, most of the remaining 0.3% of the respondents said they were taking a break and not seeking employment.
Nurturing Future Talent for the Industry
To support their graduates, the polytechnics offer regular career guidance and support, including job matching and personalised career coaching and planning. Tapping on their strong industry networks, the five polytechnics also organise regular career fairs to curate suitable job placement and apprenticeship opportunities, including the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme.
Speaking on behalf of the Polytechnic GES Committee on the outcome of the survey findings, Ms Jeanne Liew, Principal & CEO, Republic Polytechnic said, “The confidence shown by employers in our polytechnic graduates is evident in the wage growth and stable employment rates. Our robust industry ties and progressive curriculum have nurtured graduates who are adaptable and resilient. Through ongoing collaboration with stakeholders, we remain committed to preparing graduates for the dynamic job market.”
Media Release Issued by
Republic Polytechnic
Mr Terence Ong
Office of Corporate Communications
Tel: 9128 1898
Email: terence_ong@rp.edu.sg
Other Media Contacts:
Nanyang Polytechnic Communication & Outreach Tel: 9833 7677 Email: chung_wen_hua@nyp.edu.sg
|
Ngee Ann Polytechnic Ms Amelia Chua Corporate Communications Tel: 8428 1678 Email: amelia_chua@np.edu.sg |
Singapore Polytechnic Mr Daryl Hung Department of Communications Tel: 9477 1268 Email: HUNG_Yong_Guang@sp.edu.sg |
Temasek Polytechnic Mr Karthigesu Jayabalan Corporate Communications Office Tel: 9665 6706 Email: karthi@tp.edu.sg |
