SINGAPORE – About nine in 10 fresh graduates from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) were employed within six months of completing their final examinations.
The median gross monthly salary of SUTD’s fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment increased to $4,800 in 2022 from $4,500 in 2021, while their mean gross monthly salary increased to $5,102 in 2022, from $4,730 in 2021.
These were some of the key numbers from SUTD’s latest graduate employment survey involving 300 out of its eighth batch of 388 fresh graduates.
More than 55 per cent of SUTD graduates secured full-time permanent employment in the information and communications, financial and insurance, and scientific research and development sectors.
The latest figures are in line with a recent survey showing that more of Singapore’s fresh university graduates secured full-time jobs and commanded higher pay in 2022 than in the previous year, as the economy continued to grow and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The graduate employment survey, whose results were released in February, tracked 12,100 fresh graduates from full-time programmes at the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University and Singapore University of Social Sciences. It showed that 87.5 per cent of fresh graduates in the labour force were in full-time permanent roles, compared with 84 per cent in 2021.
Graduates in fields like information and digital technologies, health sciences and engineering recorded the highest proportions in full-time permanent jobs. Those from information and digital technologies continued to take home the highest pay – $5,625, up from $5,000 in 2021.
Ms Azreena Zamree, 25, graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Product Development, and is now a robotics engineer at Changi General Hospital. She was connected to her employer through SUTD Career Development Centre’s career fair.
She credits SUTD for providing a wide range of resources to prepare her for the working world, such as resume consultations with career counsellors, and multiple channels such as career fairs and career portals to connect with potential employers.
“(SUTD) has very good collaborations with industry partners, and the collaborations are still strong because students always give results. There are a lot of connections out there, so we won’t miss out on opportunities.”
SUTD president Chong Tow Chong said: “Despite the slowing economy, SUTD’s graduate employment survey results showed that our fresh graduates are still well sought after by employers. I am pleased to note that almost 40 per cent of this cohort comprise women educated in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – a 5 percentage point increase over the previous year.”
He added: “SUTD will continue nurturing young leaders and innovators with its interdisciplinary design education to serve societal needs and build a better world by design.”
