Despite hiring uncertainty, SMU graduates are in high demand by employers
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According to a survey, more than nine in 10 SMU graduates landed jobs within six months of graduation.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – Even as organisations become more cautious amid global economic uncertainty, graduates from Singapore Management University (SMU) continue to secure good employment outcomes, with more than nine in 10 landing jobs within six months of graduation.
According to the latest Joint Autonomous University Graduate Employment Survey (JAUGES) 2025, SMU recorded a strong 91.4 per cent secured employment rate, with an overall employment rate of 87.1 per cent and a full-time permanent employment rate of 79.8 per cent.
Secured employment rate is a newly introduced indicator that refers to graduates in a full-time permanent, part-time, temporary or freelance job; who had accepted a job offer and were starting later; or who were taking steps to start a business venture.
The university’s graduates in 2025 also commanded higher wages than in 2024, with the average gross monthly salary rising to $5,116 from $5,057 for the class of 2024, while the median gross salary of also increased to $4,747 from $4,600.
Of SMU’s 2,331 graduates in the Class of 2025, 1,710 – or 73.4 per cent – responded to the survey, which is conducted annually by SMU and the other five autonomous universities.
In its press release, SMU said that its graduates remain in demand and continue to demonstrate resilience in a moderated hiring environment.
It noted that as with previous graduate employment survey findings, industries such as Finance and Insurance, Legal, Accounting and Auditing, and Information and Communication remained top employment sectors, reflecting sustained employer demand that is aligned with SMU’s disciplinary strengths.
A hallmark of SMU’s distinctive education model is its mandatory internship programme, which the university said has played a pivotal role in preparing its students for the workforce.
Of graduates in full-time permanent jobs, 30.9 per cent of them are working or have worked in the same company where they interned, while 16.4 per cent reported being offered positions by their host companies but chose not to take up the offer.
For some graduates, internships serve as a platform for exploration across sectors before committing to a career direction. One of them was Ms Kylie Oh Yu Ning, 23, who majored in politics, law and economics and interned across government, technology and fintech organisations including the Ministry of Home Affairs, SAP, Grab and Visa.
Her final internship at Visa resulted in a full-time role in the company’s global leadership associate programme even before graduation.
Only SMU’s internships of 10 weeks or longer, for academic credit, is mandatory, but the university said the average SMU student undertakes two to six internships over the course of a degree programme.
“Each organisation had its own culture, pace and expectations,” she said. “I had to quickly understand new problem statements and navigate ambiguity with confidence.”
SMU Provost Alan Chan said: “While hiring conditions are becoming more cautious as organisations manage uncertainty and accelerate automation, this is precisely where SMU’s learning model proves its strength.”
He said the university was intensifying its efforts to equip its students with essential human-centred competencies, such as strong critical thinking and communication skills as well as a high degree of AI fluency, which are vital to flourishing in a rapidly changing work environment.
Noting that the university offers some distinctive programmes, including its mandatory internship programme, he said: “More internship and global education opportunities will be provided, with a sharpened focus on preparing students to be Asia-ready and future-ready. Our goal is to ensure SMU graduates remain resilient, adaptable, and highly competitive.”
The university said it will continue to offer lifelong career support to all alumni of its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with continued access to a 24/7 jobs portal and personalised assistance by individual career coaches.
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