25/04/2023
6 in 10 PEI Graduates in Full-Time Permanent Employment within 6 months of Graduation
Findings of the Private Education Institution (PEI) Graduate Employment Survey (GES) 2021/2022 released by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), showed that six in ten PEI fresh graduates in the labour force found full-time permanent employment within six months of graduation.
The PEI GES findings focused on the employment outcome1 of economically active fresh graduates who graduated between May 2021 and April 2022 from full-time Bachelor’s level external degree programmes (EDPs). There were about 8,800 full-time Bachelor’s level EDP graduates across 27 PEIs, and 41.1% responded to the PEI GES. Among the respondents, about 2,400 individuals were economically active fresh graduates.
As the PEI GES aims to reflect the employment outcomes of new entrants into the labour force, the findings do not include the following groups of students – fresh graduates who are not economically active; part-time students; and mature learners. International students working or seeking employment overseas have also been excluded from the analysis to better reflect employment opportunities for PEI graduates in the Singapore labour market.
Key Findings of PEI GES 2021/2022
Among the 2,400 economically active PEI fresh graduates surveyed in the 2021/2022 cohort, 86.5% were employed within six months of graduation. 60.9% of PEI fresh graduates found full-time permanent employment. Another 20.5% were graduates who found part-time or temporary employment and the remaining 5.1% found freelance work.
In comparison, the overall employment rate and full-time permanent employment rate for Autonomous University (AU) fresh graduates from the 2022 cohort2 were 93.8% and 87.5% respectively, higher than the corresponding figures for the PEI fresh graduates. The overall employment rate and full-time permanent employment rate for post-National Service polytechnic graduates3 were also higher, at 92.7% and 65.4% respectively.
The PEI GES 2021/2022 indicated that 17.2% of PEI fresh graduates were either unemployed and still looking for job or in involuntary part-time/temporary employment. This was higher than the corresponding figure of 4.4% for AU fresh graduates and 6.1% for post-National Service polytechnic graduates.
The survey also showed that the median gross monthly salary of PEI fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment was $3,200, compared to $4,200 for AU fresh graduates and $2,800 for post-National Service polytechnic graduates.
The employment outcomes of PEI graduates varied considerably across the different institutions. Potential students looking to pursue EDPs are encouraged to review the outcomes for specific institutions before making their decisions.
Ms Hui Mei San, Director-General (Private Education), SSG, said, “Given the wide range of learning pathways and opportunities available for Singaporeans today, the PEI GES findings help provide prospective students with relevant information in deciding on their further education options.”
Detailed results of the survey can be found in Annexes B, C and D, and on the SSG website at www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/pei/ges.
Download Annex here.
1 Definitions of the employment indicators are in Annex A.
2 This references the 2022 Joint AU Graduate Employment Survey (JAUGES) results that were published on 20 February 2023. This includes fresh graduates who graduated in May 2022 from NTU, NUS, SMU and SUSS only.
3 This references the 2022 Joint Polytechnic Graduate Employment Survey results that were published on 13 January 2023.