SINGAPORE - The overall employment rate for polytechnic graduates has increased, an annual survey has found.

The Graduate Employment Survey , jointly conducted by Singapore's five polytechnics in 2016, found that the overall employment rate in 2016 was 90.6 per cent for fresh graduates, and 95.4 per cent for post-national service (NS) graduates.

The overall median gross monthly salary for fresh graduates and post-NS graduates in full-time permanent employment was $2,200 in 2016 - similar to that from 2015.

The survey polled 10,541 of the 14,004 fresh polytechnic graduates. They were asked about their employment status as at Oct 1, 2016 - about six months after their final exams.

About 90 per cent of the respondents in the labour force - those who were working, or not working but actively looking and available for work - had found employment. This was 1.7 percentage points higher than in 2015.

About 56 per cent of these respondents had secured full-time permanent employment, and 34.8 per cent were on part-time, temporary or freelance employment.

Also surveyed were 5,106 of the 9,212 graduates from 2013 who had completed their full-time NS between April 1, 2015 and Mar 31, 2016.

About 95 per cent of them who were in the labour force had found employment - 3.9 percentage points higher than in 2015. Of these, 70.2 per cent had secured full-time permanent jobs, while 25.2 per cent were on part-time, temporary or freelance ones.

Most of those who were on part-time, temporary or freelance employment were pursuing or about to begin further studies.

Of those in full-time employment, fresh graduates and post-NS graduates from the Health Sciences category had the highest median gross monthly salaries.