Oral Answer to PQ on Graduate Employment
NOTICE PAPER NO. 2636 OF 2023 FOR SITTING ON 06 MARCH 2024
QUESTION NO. 5828 FOR ORAL ANSWER
MP: Mr Yip Hon Weng
To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how are our tripartite partners working with local universities to ensure graduates find relevant or full-time employment amidst a tightening labour market; and (b) how can the Ministry improve the job matching rate for graduates.
Answer:
1. The tripartite partners, comprising the Government, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), have put in place a number of initiatives to support graduate employment.
2. The Government works closely with Autonomous Universities (AUs) to ensure that the supply of graduates takes into account industry demand, and that graduates are equipped with industry-relevant skills. AUs conduct regular reviews of course curricula, incorporating feedback from economic agencies and industry. AUs have also worked with employers to provide meaningful internships for students as important components for many of their courses. The internships allow students to connect what they learn in the classroom with the
workplace, and allow companies to access a pipeline of talent better aligned to industry needs. There is also the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning(NACE), which helps employers build workplace learning capabilities and raise the quality of internships that they provide to students. The AUs also provide career-related information to students and graduates through career talks, fairs, and online resources. Students and graduates can consult career coaches for more personalised career and upgrading advice.
3. In addition to the services provided by AUs, graduates can approach Workforce Singapore (WSG) and NTUC’s e2i for career advisory and one-on-one coaching at their centres. Graduates can also access WSG’s MyCareersFuture (MCF) portal to search and apply for jobs. They can make use of features such as CareersFinder on MCF to help them better plan for their careers. These support graduates to take charge of their career health by making more informed career decisions and longer-term plans.
4. NTUC and SNEF’s efforts complement what the Government is doing. NTUC’s Youth Taskforce identified that some of the top resources to help youths work towards their desired future jobs were quality internships and career mentorships. Therefore, NTUC and SNEF piloted the Career Starter Lab in 2023, to facilitate career trials, structured workplace attachments and mentorships for youths. NTUC also set up mentorSHIP to increase access to career mentoring for youths. These initiatives help youths gain more clarity about job fit, pick up relevant skills and find jobs that match their competencies and aspirations.
5. Overall, a tight labour market should benefit graduates in their job search, meaning less difficulties in seeking out full-time employment with a good job fit. While the recent results from the Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey show a slight decrease in employment rates for graduates, it still remains higher than the pre-COVID levels in 2019. Furthermore, graduates also saw an increase in starting salaries compared to the year before.