Higher starting pay for university graduates, more in freelance work: Survey

SMU Starting pay for fresh uni grads hits new high According to the annual Joint Graduate Employment Survey released on Monday, 93.3 per cent of SMU graduates were employed in full-time, part-time, temporary or freelance work within 6 months of their final exams. NUS and NTU numbers both stood at about 90 per cent. Among all three institutions, the proportion of graduates overall who secured full-time permanent employment fell from 79.9 per cent in 2016 to 78.4 per cent last year. More went to freelance work – 2.4 per cent compared to 1.7 per cent in 2016. The proportion of graduates in part-time or temporary jobs remained at about 8 per cent. SMU graduates were paid S$3,500, the same as the previous year, while NTU and NUS graduates earned median gross monthly salaries of $S3,487 and S$3,500 respectively.