Tan See Leng says young graduates' employment remains stable

5 articles · Updated · The Straits Times · May 5

In Singapore's Parliament, he said 25-to-29-year-old degree holders' employment stayed around 90% over the past decade, even as 2025 fresh graduates' full-time employment fell to 74.4% from 87.5% in 2022.
Tan said the weaker fresh graduate figures reflected a longer school-to-work transition after post-Covid hiring peaks, not a broad deterioration, and acknowledged concerns that weaker internships or networks can disadvantage some jobseekers.
The government said institutes of higher learning are expanding internships, attachments and career support, while a new Skills and Workforce Development Agency aims to reduce skills mismatch and improve job matching.

With skills now prioritized over degrees, how can fresh graduates without experience compete in Singapore's evolving job market?

Could the merger of workforce agencies truly bridge the persistent skills mismatch and help overqualified workers find better-fitting roles?