Latest Press Releases > February 2006

27 February 2006

Bullish Job Market Continues For NUS Graduates
Increase in employment rate and starting salaries; more finding jobs in shorter time in latest employment survey.

Graduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS) continue to be well sought after by employers as revealed in the latest NUS Graduate Employment Survey of 4,405 NUS graduates from the 2005 graduating class.  94% of NUS graduates¹ had already found jobs (full-time, part-time or secured jobs).  There was also a 100% employment rate for graduates from 10 of the 29 courses surveyed.

While there was an increase in the proportion of graduates on full time employment, NUS graduates also enjoyed higher starting salaries.  The job search for NUS graduates was also shorter with more than four-fifths of the employed graduates securing their jobs in less than three months. 

Special programmes unique to NUS provided graduates with the added advantage.  100% of graduates who were on the NUS Overseas Colleges programme had secured jobs or are in the midst of starting their own company.  These graduates appealed to employers because of the knowledge, skills and experience they had gained while working full time in startups based in San Francisco, Pennsylvania and Shanghai.  As part of the programme, these graduates also study part time at world renowned partner universities. 

"I was able to hone important networking and leadership skills, develop an enterprising mindset, and learn to adapt quickly to new situations while at Silicon Valley, USA as part of the NOC programme." said Juliet Low, a recent graduate from NUS'  Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering.  "I was introduced to my current company at a seminar organised by the NUS Career Centre and went through 19 interviews at four different offices around the globe before becoming the first Singaporean to be accepted into their management training programme.  I am today undergoing training at their US office to be an Investment Associate."

Juliet is one of the recent NUS graduates earning starting salaries of $5,000 and above.  As part of her company’s management training programme, she will be undergoing training in a different country and department every 4 months, and undertake finance-related courses taught by renowned professors from various universities over a period of 2 years.

The NUS graduate survey findings are as follows:

MORE NUS GRADUATES SECURING JOBS AND ON FULL-TIME PERMANENT BASIS 
An overwhelming 94% of graduates² having found jobs as of 1 November 2005 indicated an improvement in the job market for NUS graduates as compared to last year when 92% of the graduates surveyed had found jobs within the same period.  NUS graduates on full-time permanent jobs also rose 7.5% points from 69.8% in 2004 to 77.3% in 2005.  About 13% of the graduates were on part-time or temporary employment. 

SHORTER JOB SEARCH TIME FOR NUS GRADUATES
Close to 100% of the full-time employed graduates found jobs within 6 months.  More than four-fifths (84%) of them took less than three months to clinch their jobs as compared to the situation in 2004 when 80% had secured jobs in less than three months.

MORE NUS GRADUATES ARE RECEIVING MULTIPLE JOB OFFERS
The upward trend in the proportion of employed graduates receiving several job offers continued with more than half of the graduates receiving two or more job offers as compared to 49% in 2004 and 45% in 2003.  At least 8% of employed graduates received more than four job offers.

BETTER STARTING SALARIES FOR NUS GRADUATES
The overall mean gross monthly salary of permanent full-time employed graduates across 29 degree courses in 2005 was approximately $2,500, and this was more than a 5% increase in salary as compared to last year.  Graduates with LL.B. / LL.B. (Hons.) commanded the highest mean gross monthly salary of $4,083 followed by graduates with M.B.B.S. at $3,911.  On the whole, professional degree holders earned an average of $2,750 (increase of 3% as compared to 2004) and non-professional degree holders earned $2,300 (increase of 4% as compared to 2004).

The NUS Career Centre has also impacted students in their ability to secure jobs through services provided that include job fairs, recruitment talks, workshops on career planning and resume writing, an online job portal, job placement services and others.  Said Associate Professor Tan Teck Koon, Dean of Students at NUS, “By being part of the vibrant student life on campus, many of our students have developed excellent people and leadership skills that will serve them in good stead as they enter the working world.  Our Career Centre continues to be an important link between students and the recruitment offices of organisations from both the private and public sectors.  We continue to play an active role in helping graduates find jobs, some even before graduation.”