Close to 6 in 10 Private Education Institution graduates found Full-Time Permanent Employment within 6 months of graduation

The PEI GES findings focused on the employment outcomes¹ of economically active fresh graduates who graduated between May 2022 and April 2023 from full-time Bachelor’s level external degree programmes (EDPs). There were about 9,100 full-time Bachelor’s level EDP graduates across 26 PEIs, of whom 40.8% responded to the PEI GES.   

Among the respondents, about 2,400 individuals were economically active fresh graduates. As the PEI GES aims to reflect the employment outcomes of new entrants into the labour force, the findings do not include the following groups of students: fresh graduates who are not economically active; part-time students; and mature learners. International students working or seeking employment overseas have also been excluded to better reflect employment opportunities for PEI graduates in the Singapore labour market.

Key Findings of PEI GES 2022/2023

Among the 2,400 economically active PEI fresh graduates surveyed in the 2022/2023 cohort, 83.2% were employed within six months of graduation. 58.7% found full-time permanent employment, while 18.9% found part-time or temporary employment. 5.7% took on freelance work.

In comparison, the overall employment rate and full-time permanent employment rate for Autonomous University (AU) fresh graduates from the 2023 cohort² were 89.6% and 84.1% respectively, higher than the corresponding figures for the PEI fresh graduates. The overall employment rate and full-time permanent employment rate for post-National Service polytechnic graduates³ were also higher, at 95.1% and 69.2% respectively.

19.4% of the respondents were either unemployed and looking for jobs or in involuntary part-time/temporary employment. This was higher than the corresponding figure of 7.9% for AU fresh graduates and 3.8% for post-National Service polytechnic graduates.

The median gross monthly salary of PEI fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment was $3,400. In comparison, the median gross monthly salary of AU fresh graduates was $4,313, while the median gross monthly salary for post-National Service polytechnic graduates was $2,963.

The employment outcomes of PEI graduates varied considerably across the different institutions. Prospective students looking to pursue full-time Bachelor’s level EDPs are encouraged to review the employment outcomes for specific institutions before making their decisions.

Ms Angela Tan, Director-General (Private Education), SSG, said, “There are various avenues for learning accessible to Singaporeans today to support their pursuit of their career goals and aspirations. The PEI GES equips prospective students with relevant information and insights to help them make informed decisions on their learning and career options.”

Detailed results of the survey can be found in Annexes B, C and D, and on the SSG website.

Download Annex here.

¹Definitions of the employment indicators are in Annex A.

²This references the 2023 Joint AU Graduate Employment Survey (JAUGES) results that were published on 22 February 2024. This includes fresh graduates who graduated in May 2023 from NTU, NUS, SMU and SUSS only.

³This references the 2023 Joint Polytechnic Graduate Employment Survey results that were published on 12 January 2024.

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