Labour
Nearly 1 in 10 graduates in temporary roles, with data gaps across institutions
MPs raised questions on 22 September 2025 regarding graduate employment trends, with a focus on short-term contracts, NEET youth, and outcomes of ITE’s Work-Study Diploma. Ministers shared stable employment figures but did not fully address all data breakdowns requested.
Parliament on 22 September 2025 saw a series of questions raised by Members of Parliament (MPs) concerning the employment conditions of fresh graduates, particularly regarding temporary contracts, support for youth not in education or employment, and outcomes from the ITE Work-Study Diploma programme.
MPs Chua Kheng Wee Louis, Saktiandi Supaat and David Hoe submitted separate questions addressed by Minister for Education Desmond Lee and Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng.
While the ministers presented generally positive figures on employment outcomes, some queries were only partially addressed, with detailed breakdowns either omitted or generalised.
Temporary contracts among graduates remain low but vary by institution
Responding to questions on short-term contract roles, Desmond Lee stated that the Graduate Employment Survey (GES) tracks both permanent and temporary employment. Temporary employment includes casual jobs and contracts of less than one year, while contracts of one year or more are counted as permanent.
On average, over the past five years, nine in ten employed graduates secured full-time work. Of these, nine in ten held permanent positions. The proportion of full-time employed graduates in temporary roles remained stable at around 10%.
When disaggregated by institution type, the proportion of full-time employed graduates in temporary roles stood at:
- 5% for Autonomous University graduates
- 10% for Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates
- 20% for Polytechnic graduates
- 20% for Private Education Institution graduates
Among Polytechnic graduates, nearly half who took on temporary roles indicated that they did so to pursue further studies.
However, while the response provided overall averages, it did not include the year-by-year breakdowns specifically requested by MP Chua Kheng Wee Louis. The number of graduates on fixed-term contracts of one year or less was also not explicitly stated. In addition, it was not confirmed whether the GES data directly tracks contracts by length in detailed form.
NEET youth rate remains low, but trend and outcome data omitted
On employment strategies for young people, particularly those classified as NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng reported that Singapore’s NEET rate in 2024 was 4.1%, representing 16,900 youths.
He noted that this was significantly lower than in other developed countries, such as Sweden (5.5%) and the United Kingdom (13%).
He attributed the low rate to Singapore’s strong engagement in education and career preparation, including:
- Education and Career Guidance (ECG) delivered in schools and via MOE’s ECG Centre
- Career matching and reskilling programmes provided by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute
- Mentoring SG and other support networks led by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
While these measures were outlined in detail, the response did not provide figures on the proportion of graduating students currently taking up contract roles instead of permanent ones—one of the specific points in MP Saktiandi Supaat’s question. Furthermore, no data was shared on whether this trend had shifted in recent years, as asked.
In addition, there was no disaggregation of NEET rates by age group, educational background, or gender, nor information on re-engagement outcomes for NEET youth.
ITE Work-Study Diploma sees strong job outcomes, with some data gaps
MP David Hoe sought detailed statistics on the ITE Work-Study Diploma programme, covering enrolment, graduation, employment by sector, salary, employer retention, progression to further education, and support for non-completers.
Desmond Lee responded that the programme had expanded from 100 trainees in 2018 to around 1,300 in 2024. Completion rates remained high at around 80%. Based on surveys conducted six months after graduation, approximately 90% of graduates were in full-time employment, and 70% remained with their training employer.
The median monthly salary for graduates was reported at S$2,900, similar to that of full-time Polytechnic diploma graduates. Around 10% of graduates progressed to university or post-diploma programmes.
The Ministry also outlined support for non-completers, including re-entry options, counselling, and module recognition for future applications.
However, some specific data requested was not included. These included graduation and non-completion rates by cohort, employment outcomes at the 12-month mark, and sectoral breakdowns of where graduates found employment. It was also unclear how many non-completers returned to study or work, despite a question on this point.
