Fewer than 1 in 2 private university grads find full-time work, as median salary holds steady

SINGAPORE – Fresh graduates from private education institutions faced a tight job market in 2025, with fewer than half securing full-time employment, even as the median salary remained steady.

The latest Private Education Institution Graduate Employment Survey, released by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) on April 8, showed that 46.9 per cent of fresh graduates found full-time work, a small jump from 46.4 per cent in 2024.

Overall, of the 2,600 graduates surveyed who were working or looking for jobs, 78.9 per cent secured employment within six months of graduation, a slight increase from 78.6 per cent in 2024.

Nearly a quarter of graduates – 24 per cent – found part-time or temporary work in 2025, similar to the year before. Slightly more graduates were doing freelance work, at 5.1 per cent, up from 4.2 per cent in 2024.

The median gross monthly salary of those in full-time work in 2025 was $3,500, the same as in 2024.

Graduates from James Cook University (JCU) took home the most pay at $3,700, followed by those from the Management Development Institute of Singapore, who earned $3,580.

For the six autonomous universities, including Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, 74.4 per cent of their fresh graduates secured full-time permanent roles within six months of graduation.

These graduates started with a median monthly salary of $4,500, according to the March results from the joint employment survey for the 2025 local university graduate cohort.

For post-national service polytechnic graduates, 66.2 per cent secured full-time permanent employment, with a median monthly salary of $3,137 in 2025.

The private education survey, conducted between October 2025 and January 2026, recorded responses from about 3,800 of the 6,150 fresh graduates of full-time bachelor’s degree programmes across 26 private institutions, including the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) and PSB Academy.

Parkway College of Nursing and Allied Health was deregistered as a private education institution in June 2025. Employment rates and salaries from private institutions with fewer than 10 respondents were not published.

The poll findings focused on the employment outcomes of those who graduated between May 2024 and April 2025 from full-time bachelor’s level external degree programmes.

For the first time, the survey results reflect whether graduates have secured employment, rather than using the previous employed-unemployed split, aligning with methodologies used in the latest polytechnic and university graduate employment surveys.

Those who have secured employment include graduates who are already working – full time, freelance or part time – as well as those who have accepted a job offer and will start later or are actively taking steps to start a business.

In past iterations, the “employed” category captured only those who were already in a job at the time of the survey, while graduates who were due to start jobs later or were setting up businesses were counted as unemployed.

Unlike the polytechnic and university graduate employment surveys, SSG did not provide a further breakdown on graduates who had not secured employment. This includes categories like those who received but rejected job offers, those who applied but did not receive job offers, and those who did not look for full-time work.

Among 2025’s graduates from private institutions, 21.1 per cent had not secured employment, 2.4 per cent had accepted a job but were due to start later, and 0.6 per cent were taking active steps to start a business.

Graduates from health science courses in private institutions had the highest proportion in full-time permanent jobs at 76.5 per cent, followed by those in the sciences at 57.5 per cent and engineering at 49.4 per cent.

Those from health sciences commanded the highest median gross monthly salary at $3,935, followed by graduates in information and digital technologies and engineering, at $3,900.

Ms Angela Tan, director-general (private education) at SSG, said: “The employment outcomes for private education institution graduates have remained steady, reflecting their adaptability and readiness for the workforce in today’s fast-changing job market.”

She added that SSG would continue to work with its partners to offer skills and career guidance.

Private institutions attributed their graduates’ resilience to specialised training despite a shifting economy. SIM reported a 47 per cent full-time employment rate and a $3,565 median salary, crediting its “AI-ready” pedagogy and proprietary job-matching app for helping students navigate geopolitical uncertainty.

Responding on JCU’s lead in the sector with a $3,700 median salary, Professor Carole-Anne Upton, deputy vice-chancellor of its Singapore campus, said this reflects the university’s focus on “industry-relevant programmes” and professional accreditations.

“As an Australian university in Singapore, we are also preparing our students for a global workforce, equipping them with the adaptability and cross-cultural competencies needed to succeed in both local and international contexts,” she added.