SINGAPORE – Fresh polytechnic graduates commanded higher salaries and had better job prospects in 2023, according to a poll conducted by the five polytechnics in Singapore.

Results from the latest Graduate Employment Survey (GES) released on Jan 12 show that nearly 60 per cent of them landed full-time permanent jobs in 2023, inching upwards from 59 per cent in 2022 and about 58 per cent in 2021.

Overall, in 2023, 92.7 per cent of polytechnic graduates found permanent, freelance or part-time jobs within six months of graduation or after completion of full-time national service (NS).

This is a slight increase from 91.8 per cent in 2022, continuing a steady improvement in job prospects as Singapore’s economy gradually recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The median gross monthly salary among graduates in full-time permanent employment grew by $200, from $2,600 in 2022 to $2,800 in 2023.

Graduates from health sciences, humanities and social sciences, and information and digital technologies took home higher pay than their peers from other courses.

A total of 8,065 out of 10,757 fresh polytechnic graduates in 2023 responded to the survey. They were asked about their employment status as at Oct 1, 2023 – about six months after graduation.

Also surveyed were 5,055 out of 8,739 graduates from 2020, who completed their full-time NS between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.

The unemployment rate of fresh polytechnic graduates went down from 8.2 per cent in 2022 to 7.3 per cent in 2023.

At the height of the pandemic, the figure was 12.6 per cent in 2020. Singapore’s economy grew by 3.6 per cent in 2022 as its recovery from the pandemic gained traction. In 2023, economic growth eased to 1.2 per cent.

Speaking on behalf of the Polytechnic GES committee, Republic Polytechnic principal Jeanne Liew said in a statement: “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.”

The survey results found that 5 per cent of those polled in 2023 were freelancing and 28 per cent were in temporary or part-time work. Similar to previous years, about half the polytechnic graduates in part-time or temporary employment indicated that they were concurrently pursuing or preparing to begin further studies.

In a joint statement, the polytechnics – Singapore, Temasek, Ngee Ann, Nanyang and Republic – said they have continued to support their graduates by providing career guidance such as job matching and personalised coaching.

The institutions have also tapped their networks of industry partners for suitable job placement and apprenticeship opportunities for graduates, such as the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme – where graduates are matched with a job related to their diplomas and undergo a 12-month or 18-month training programme.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said that graduates’ salaries reflect the current labour market conditions, such as the demand and supply of manpower and the state of the economy.

The spokesperson said: “These contribute to fluctuations in the salaries from year to year, and a longer-term trend would be more indicative of the improvements in the employment outcomes of our graduates over time. Between 2019 and 2023, the median gross monthly salary of polytechnic graduates had increased by $400, which translates to about $100 per year.”

Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduate Vidhya Nishad, 23, who has a diploma in community development from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, joined Care Corner – a charity organisation that provides social and healthcare services – in Toa Payoh as a programme associate in August 2023.

She said it took her at least two months of job hunting before she landed the position. Although she did have initial fears about her starting salary and job expectations, she said she is satisfied with what she was offered.

“I had a ballpark figure in my mind, and I was very transparent with my employer. Thankfully, they were able to match up to my expectations as well.”

Ms Vidhya said that while her internship stints in school did not allow her to assume the full responsibilities of a working professional, they did sufficiently prepare her for a career in social work.

“With my last internship, I knew how to function in a working world. As an intern, I was willing to learn. Now working full time, I’m still in the learners’ shoes as I want to absorb everything.”

Republic Polytechnic graduate Alfyan Sapwan, 25, was pursuing a four-year computer science degree at the Singapore Institute of Technology. After one year, he decided to stop his studies and embark on a 12-month paid traineeship programme at Google Singapore in November 2023, which he applied for through the Skills Ignition SG programme.

Mr Alfyan said he chose this route as he was looking forward to a robust and practical curriculum which allowed him to learn from and network with industry practitioners and mentors from Google.

“It was a calculated decision as an offer like this isn’t going to come by often, but you can always go back to school,” he said.

Mr Alfyan hopes to be able to further his studies and secure a full-time job after he completes the Google traineeship programme.