Slightly more than 20% remained unemployed
Private institution graduates faced a tight job market in 2025, with fewer than half landing full-time employment. However, median salaries remained steady, according to the latest Private Education Institution (PEI) Graduate Employment Survey released by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) on Wednesday (Apr 8).
Only 46.9% of fresh graduates found full-time work, a figure similar to 2024’s 46.4%. At the same time, the median gross monthly wages of those in full-time jobs in 2025 remained the same as in 2024, at S$3,500.
In comparison, of the 83.4% of graduates from autonomous universities who found employment in 2025, 74.4% secured full-time positions, compared to 79.4% in 2024. The median gross monthly salary for graduates who secured jobs within six months remained steady at S$4,500.
The PEI Graduate Employment survey was conducted between Oct 2025 and Jan 2026, across 3,800 participants of the 6,150 fresh graduates of full-time bachelor’s degree programmes across 26 private institutions. This includes the Singapore Institute of Management and PSB Academy.
Overall, among the 2,600 graduates surveyed who were working or seeking employment, 78.9% of them landed a job within six months of graduation, a slight uptick from 78.6% in 2024.
Almost one-fourth of graduates (24%) found part-time or temporary work in 2025, similar to the year before. Those who were doing freelance work grew slightly at 5.1%, up from 4.2% in 2024.
Meanwhile, 21.1% remained unemployed. 2.4% had accepted offers but not yet started, and a small 0.6% were striking out on their own as entrepreneurs.
Not all private university graduates fared the same
Among the surveyed private university graduates, not all fared equally.
Health science graduates led in both employment and pay: 76.5% are in full-time permanent roles, with median salaries at S$3,935. This is followed by the Sciences at 57.5% employment, while engineering trailed at 49.4%. Information and digital technologies tied engineering for the second-highest pay at S$3,900.
When it came to salaries by institution, James Cook University graduates took home the most at S$3,700 a month, followed by those from the Management Development Institute of Singapore at S$3,580.
SSG’s director-general for private education, Angela Tan, struck an optimistic note.
“The employment outcomes for PEI graduates have remained steady, reflecting their adaptability and readiness for the workforce in today’s fast-changing job market,” she said, adding that SSG will continue working with partners to provide skills and career guidance.
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