Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey 2024
HIGHER SALARIES FOR UNIVERSITY GRADUATES ACROSS ALL COURSE CLUSTERS DESPITE UNCERTAINTIES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
1. Singapore, 24 February 2025 - The latest report from the 2024 Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey (JAUGES)1 reveals key trends in the job market for recent graduates. Despite uncertainties in the global economy and lower hiring demand in 2024 compared to 20232, 87.1% of recent graduates secured employment within six months of completing their final examinations, with an increase in median gross monthly salary to $4,500 (compared to $4,317 in 2023).
2. The survey, which polled graduates from full-time programmes at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) provides insights into the current employment outlook for fresh graduates.
Employment Indicators for Fresh Graduates from Full-Time Programmes
3. About 12,500 recent graduates from full-time programmes at NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, and SUSS took part in the 2024 survey, accounting for a response rate of 73.3%. They were queried about their employment status as at 1 November 2024, approximately six months after their final examinations.
4. About 11,100 respondents were in the labour force3. Of this group, 87.1% had secured employment, compared to 89.6% in 2023. 79.5% of those in the labour force attained full-time permanent positions, compared to 84.1% in 2023. Additionally, 1.6% were engaged in freelancing as compared to 1.5% in 2023.
5. 6% of graduates in the labour force were in part-time/temporary employment, compared to 4% in 2023. The majority of those in part-time/temporary employment continue do so voluntarily (see Table 1 for a breakdown of these figures).
6. The median gross monthly salary4 among fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment was $4,500, an increase from $4,317 in 2023.
Table 1: Employment Indicators of Fresh Graduates from Full-Time Programmes (NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and SUSS) as at six months after their final examinations
Employment Outcomes by Course Cluster
7. In 2024, the Health Sciences, Business, and Information & Digital Technologies clusters recorded the highest percentage of graduates in full-time permanent employment. All clusters experienced an increase in median gross monthly salaries in 2024 (refer to Table 2 for details).
Table 2: Employment Indicators of Fresh Graduates by Course Clusters (NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and SUSS)5 as at six months after their final examinations.
Employment Status of Graduates who Participated in the Follow-up Survey
8. More than 700 graduates from NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and SUSS participated in the 2024 follow-up survey, which surveyed their employment status as at 1 November 2024, representing a response rate of 57.2%. The survey is conducted for courses that typically require post-graduate practical training before the graduates can practise in their professions, and includes all graduates, regardless of whether they proceeded with the practical training. These graduates were from:
- The Architecture Class of 2021, who were surveyed three years after graduation to allow graduates who choose to continue with their practical training to complete it, and
- The Biomedical Sciences and Chinese Medicine, Law, Medicine, and Pharmacy Class of 2023, who were surveyed one year after the graduation to allow graduates who choose to continue with the one-year practical law course, pupillage, or housemanship/first-year residency to complete their practical training.
9. Of those in the labour force, 97.2% were employed, similar to 2023. 94.4% of those in the labour force secured full-time permanent employment, compared to 96.5% in 2023. Another 0.7% were freelancing, compared to 0.2% in 2023.
10. The proportion in part-time/temporary employment increased to 2.1%, compared to 0.6% in 2023. The majority of those in part-time/temporary employment continue to do so voluntarily (see Table 3 for a breakdown of these figures).
11. The median gross monthly salary of those in full-time permanent employment increased from $6,000 in 2023 to $6,275 in 2024.
Table 3: Employment Indicators of Graduates who participated in the Follow-Up Survey (NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and SUSS)
AUs’ Support for their Graduates
12. The six Autonomous Universities (AUs) have significantly ramped up their efforts to empower their graduates to navigate the job market. Beyond providing career guidance and support services, including personalised coaching, job matching, and tailored career planning, the AUs have also tapped on their extensive industry network to craft tailored job placements and apprenticeship opportunities. Additionally, they are offering continuing education and training courses to ensure their graduates remain competitive and adaptable in today's ever-evolving workforce landscape.
Results for Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
13. The surveys for SIT are ongoing and results will be released at a later date.
1The JAUGES is conducted by the six Autonomous Universities (NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT, SUSS) every year to collect information on the employment status of graduates, around six months after their final examinations. Due to their different academic calendars, NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and SUSS conduct their surveys in November, while SIT conducts its survey in March.
2Refer to MOM’s Report: Labour Market Fourth Quarter 2024, 27 January 2025.
3Graduates in the labour force refer to graduates who are either employed (i.e., working) or unemployed (i.e., not working but actively looking and available for a job).
4Refer to Appendix I for the definitions of employment indicators.
5Appendix II lists all courses under each course cluster. The survey findings of respective AUs can be found at https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/overview/autonomous-universities/.
For media queries and interviews, please contact:
NTU Media Contact
Foo Jie Ying
Assistant Director,
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University
Email: [email protected]
NUS Media Contact
Janice Tay
Assistant Senior Manager,
Office of University Communications
National University of Singapore
Email: [email protected]
SIT Media Contact
Jesmine Ong
Assistant Director,
Corporate Communications
Singapore Institute of Technology
Email: [email protected]
SMU Media Contact
Jean Lim
Senior Assistant Director,
Corporate Communications
Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing
Singapore Management University
Email: [email protected]
SUSS Media Contact
Aaron Nair
Manager,
Communications & Marketing
Singapore University of Social Sciences
Email: [email protected]
SUTD Media Contact
Melissa Koh
Manager (Public Relations),
Office of Marketing and Communications
Singapore University of
Technology and Design
Email: [email protected]
APPENDIX I: DEFINITION OF EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS
Employment refers to graduates working on a full-time permanent, part-time, temporary employment or freelancing basis.
Full-time Permanent Employment refers to employment of at least 35 hours a week and where the employment is not temporary. It includes those on contracts of one year or more.
Freelancing refers to those who operate their own business without employing any paid worker in the conduct of their business or trade.
Part-time Employment refers to employment of less than 35 hours a week.
Temporary Employment refers to casual, interim or seasonal employment, including those on contracts of less than one year.
Involuntary part-time/temporary employment refers to those who indicated that they were in part- time/temporary employment as they had tried but were unable to obtain a full-time permanent job offer so far.
Voluntary part-time/temporary employment refers to those who indicated that they were in part- time/temporary employment as they were pursuing/preparing to commence further studies, as they were taking active steps to start a business venture, due to personal choice, or other reasons.
Unemployed but starting work soon refers to those who indicated that they were not working as they had accepted a job offer and will start later, or were taking steps to start a business venture.
Unemployed and still looking for a job refers to those who indicated that they were not working but actively looking and available for work.
Gross Monthly Salary comprises basic salary, fixed allowances, over-time pay, commissions and other regular cash payments, before deduction of the employee’s CPF contributions and personal income tax. Employer’s CPF contributions, bonuses, stock options, other lump sum payments and payments-in-kind are excluded.
APPENDIX II: LIST OF COURSE CLUSTERS AND COURSES
FOLLOW-UP GRADUATES