POLY GRADS IN GREAT DEMAND
Diploma holders starting careers at higher starting pay, survey shows
Singapore, 5 Feb 2007 – Poly graduates landed jobs at higher salaries, according to the annual graduate employment survey by the five polytechnics.
Of the 7,231 fresh graduates who took part in the survey, 91.3 percent of the respondents who were economically active1 found employment within six months of graduating. About 72.1 percent of the economically active fresh graduates were in full-time permanent employment2, an improvement from 69.8 percent in 2005.
Overall, fresh graduates in full-time permanent positions also command a higher pay, with the average gross monthly salary3 registering an increase to $1,711 in 2006 from $1,659 in 2005.
The survey findings show that fresh graduates from engineering, maritime, and chemical & life sciences courses command the highest gross monthly salaries.
Of the fresh graduates with full-time permanent jobs, 84.4 percent joined the private sector while the remaining 15.6 percent took up positions in the public sector.
Post-National Service Graduates
Post-National Service graduates who participated in the survey also enjoy good employment prospects with the highest earners coming from the maritime, health sciences, and chemical & life sciences courses.
Of the 2,717 respondents, 91.1 percent of those who were economically active were employed at the time of the survey. About 79.9 percent of the economically active Post-National Service graduates hold full-time permanent jobs, an improvement compared to 77.7 percent in 2005.
Graduates in full-time permanent employment after National Service also take home a bigger pay package. The average gross monthly salary is $2,029, an increase compared to $1,975 recorded in 2005.
Of the Post-National Service graduates with full-time permanent jobs, 73.6 percent joined the private sector while the remaining 26.4 percent took up positions in the public sector.
1 Economically active graduates refer to those who were working or looking for employment.
2 Full-time permanent employment refers to employment of at least 30 hours a week and where the employment is not temporary. It includes those on contracts of one year or more.
3 Gross monthly salary includes fixed allowances, overtime pay, and commission, and is the average monthly salary of graduates who had full-time permanent jobs as at 1 October 2006. Bonuses were excluded.
Background Facts about the Survey
· The annual Graduate Employment and Post-NS Employment surveys were jointly conducted by Nanyang, Ngee Ann, Republic, Singapore and Temasek polytechnics between October 2006 and January 2007.
· The survey, which was conducted to ascertain the employment status of polytechnic graduates, atracted a total of nearly 10,000 respondents. They were asked to respond based on their employment status on 1 October 2006.
· The respondents comprised polytechnic graduates who had completed their studies in 2006 and were not liable for National Service after graduation, and Post-NS polytechnic graduates who had completed their full-time National Service between 1 June 2005 and 31 March 2006.
· For a more detailed picture of the survey, please refer to Appendix I. A list of the Diplomas involved is also provided in Appendix II.
Media Contacts
Nanyang Polytechnic Singapore Polytechnic
Ms Sandra Tan Mr T Sundraraj
Tel: 6550 0223 / 9479 1033 Tel: 6772 1742 / 9787 0209
Ngee Ann Polytechnic Temasek Polytechnic
Ms Sadia Ahmad Ms Vimala Christie
Tel: 6460 6232 / 9848 0579 Tel: 6780 5019 / 9790 0319
Republic Polytechnic
Ms Lisa Koh
Tel : 6510 3282 / 9694 0557
APPENDIX I
KEY EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS
Full-time permanent employment refers to employment of at least 30 hours a week and where the employment is not temporary. It includes those on contracts of one year or more.
Part-time employment refers to employment of less than 30 hours a week.
Temporary employment refers to casual, interim or seasonal employment, including those on contracts of less than one year.
Exhibit 3. Monthly Salary of Graduates in Full-time Permanent Employment by Course Category
Course Category |
Fresh Graduates |
Post-National
Service Graduates |
Basic* |
Gross+ |
Basic* |
Gross+ |
Accountancy, Business, Finance & Law |
$1,559 |
$1,618 |
$1,918 |
$2,055 |
Built Environment |
$1,516 |
$1,587 |
$1,784 |
$1,956 |
Chemical & Life Sciences & Other Sciences |
$1,628 |
$1,703 |
$1,992 |
$2,169 |
Engineering (Electrical & Electronic) |
$1,674 |
$1,821 |
$1,894 |
$2,018 |
Engineering (Mechanical & Manufacturing) |
$1,665 |
$1,830 |
$1,886 |
$2,084 |
Health Sciences |
$1,621 |
$1,693 |
$2,208 |
$2,208 |
Information Technology |
$1,620 |
$1,686 |
$1,870 |
$1,950 |
Maritime |
$1,654 |
$1,748 |
$2,081 |
$2,251 |
Media & Design |
$1,604 |
$1,687 |
$1,889 |
$1,945 |
All Courses |
$1,618 |
$1,711 |
$1,896 |
$2,029 |
* Basic salary refers to the average monthly salary of graduates who were working in full-time permanent jobs as at 1 October 2006. Fixed allowances were included.
+ Gross salary refers to the average basic salary plus overtime pay and commission of graduates who were working in full-time permanent jobs as at 1 October 2006. Bonuses were excluded.
Exhibit 4. Employment Sector of Graduates in Full-Time Permanent Employment
Fresh Graduates Post-National Service Graduates
85.7% 84.4%
2005 2006 2005 2006
