• 95.1% of fresh graduates from the 2021 cohort employed within six months of final examinations
• 68.3% were offered full-time permanent jobs before graduation
• Graduates across all six Schools enjoyed higher starting salaries
• Mean and median gross monthly salaries at $4,896 and $4,500 respectively, are at an all-time high

Singapore, 20 February 2023 (Monday) – Fresh graduates from Singapore Management University’s (SMU) 19th cohort have registered healthy and stable overall employment, with 95.1% of them employed and commanding good starting salaries across all six of the university’s degree programmes.

The results were revealed in the annual Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey (JAUGES), jointly conducted by SMU and the other Autonomous Universities.

76.3% or 1,531 of the 1,982 SMU alumni who graduated in 2022 took part in the survey.

The survey showed that 95.1% of SMU fresh graduates in the labour force gained employment within six months of completing their final examinations. The proportion of SMU graduates in full-time permanent employment was 89.5%, a 2.4%-point increase from 2021. 68.3% of fresh graduates were offered full-time permanent jobs before graduation. This was a 4.1%-point increase as compared to the previous cohort. Among those who were on full-time permanent employment, more than half (55.9%) were offered employment through internships, which are compulsory, for SMU undergraduates.

Both the mean and median gross monthly salaries increased in 2022. The mean gross monthly salary of SMU graduates in full-time permanent jobs is $4,896 in 2022, an increase over the previous year’s salary of $4,358. The median gross monthly salary of graduates in full-time permanent employment is $4,500 in 2022, up from $4,000 in 2021.

The top three industries of employment for SMU graduates were Financial and Insurance, Information & Communication, and Legal, Accounting and Auditing.

SMU Provost, Professor Timothy Clark said, “Despite slower economic growth in 2022, we are delighted to see that SMU graduates are very much in demand, with the great majority gainfully employed with good starting salaries. This is an acknowledgment of the appropriate marketplace readiness of our students honed by SMU’s robust and holistic broad-based academic and co-curricular programmes that nurture the values and soft skills much desired at the workplace. Compulsory global exposure, community service, and mandatory internships, which graduates complete an average of 2.7 during their studies, all contribute workplace relevance to students’ applied learning.”

98% of 2022 graduates said that the SMU experience had a positive impact on them and they had experienced personal growth during their time at the University. In addition, 98% felt that the SMU experience had enabled them to develop interpersonal and collaboration skills while 97% felt that they had developed their communication and engagement skills. Another 95% said they were able to persevere and adapt in the face of challenges and also took ownership of their own personal development. 

“An SMU education ensures students develop the skills and attributes that are critical and desired in any workplace today and these underpin our graduates’ future careers,” added Prof Clark.

Please refer to the enclosed media release for full details. An annex, that has been posted on MOE’s website, is also attached.