Full-time employment rate stable for fresh poly graduates in 2025

Full-time permanent employment for fresh polytechnic graduates stayed stable in 2025, while starting pay continued to rise.

- Gabrielle Chan

Results of the latest Graduate Employment Survey by the five polytechnics released on Jan 15 show that 54.2 per cent of them were in full-time permanent jobs in 2025, a slight dip from 54.6 per cent in 2024.

The median gross monthly salary of graduates in such jobs continued to grow, from $2,900 in 2024 to $3,000 in 2025.

Humanities and social sciences graduates, like in previous years, took home the highest pay of $3,200, compared with their peers from other courses. This was followed by graduates from health sciences, who took home $3,011.

Overall, in 2025, 90 per cent of polytechnic graduates secured employment within six months of graduation or after completion of full-time national service. The figure was 90.4 per cent in 2024.

The results come amid concerns among tertiary graduates about their job prospects in a more uncertain labour market and volatile economic climate.

For the first time, the survey's results reflect whether graduates have secured employment or not, instead of the previous employed-unemployed split.

Those who have secured employment include graduates who are already working full-time, freelance or part-time as well as those who have accepted a job offer and will start later, or are actively taking steps to start a business.

In past iterations, the "employed" category captured only those who were already in a job at the point of the survey, while those due to start jobs later or setting up businesses were counted as unemployed.

The latest results also for the first time gave more details about graduates who have not secured work.