High Employment Rates and Starting Salaries for SUTD’s Second Cohort of Graduates
The first cohort of graduates from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) graduated in 2015. As per the first cohort, the second cohort of graduates continue to be well-received by industry with high overall employment rates2 and starting salaries in 2016. Based on the results of the annual Joint Graduate Employment Survey3, the survey revealed that more than nine in 10 SUTD fresh graduates were employed within six months of completing their final examinations with 84% securing full-time permanent employment. In particular, the full-time permanent employment rate for engineering graduates had increased by 5.4 percentage points to 86.1% in 2016.
The mean gross monthly salary4 among SUTD’s fresh graduates employed in full-time permanent employment was $3,853 in 2016, compared to $3,709 in 2015. The median gross monthly salary for fresh graduates employed in full-time permanent employment was $3,650 in 2016, compared to $3,600 in 2015. Some of the top hiring sectors include Information & Communication, Engineering Manufacturing, Financial & Insurance, and Public Administration & Defence.
206 out of SUTD’s second cohort of 246 fresh graduates participated in the survey which took place from mid-February to March 2017.
Professor Thomas Magnanti, SUTD’s President, said: “Despite challenging economic conditions, we are heartened that there continues to be strong demand for our technology- and design-trained students, and their high starting salaries show that employers value what our students can bring to the table. We believe that our second batch has reaffirmed the positive experiences that industry had with our first batch of graduates.”
“Armed with SUTD’s unique multi-disciplinary design-centric education that brings together innovation and problem-solving skills, our students are well-prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. Coupled with the fact that around 75% of our students had overseas experiences, their global outlook and versatility should serve them well as they work to address societal needs and better the world by design,” he added.
Positive Feedback from Industry
Commenting on the quality of SUTD graduates, Yam Kum Weng, Executive Vice President, Airport Development of Changi Airport Group (CAG), said: "The SUTD graduates who joined CAG have performed beyond expectations. They demonstrate three distinct qualities. First, they are eager to learn, and take in advice from colleagues before developing solutions. Second, they are able to collaborate with colleagues across the entire value chain, and third, after creating solutions, they enable others to execute them. These qualities put them in good stead to deal with complex issues."
CAG is one of 700 companies that collaborate with SUTD on internships and employment.
1Full-time permanent employment refers to employment of at least 35 hours a week and where the employment is not temporary. It includes those on contracts of one year or more.
2The overall employment rate refers to the number of employed graduates working in full-time permanent, part-time, temporary and freelance employment,as a proportion of graduates in the labour force (i.e. those who were working or not working but actively looking and available for work), approximately 6 months after completion of final examinations.
3The survey is jointly conducted by Singapore University of Technology and Design, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology and Singapore Management University.
4Gross monthly salary comprises the basic salary, overtime payments, commissions, fixed allowances, and other regular cash payments, before deduction of the employee’s CPF contributions and personal income tax. Employer’s CPF contributions, bonuses, stock options, other lump sum payments, and payments-in-kind are excluded.
Source: MOE’s Graduate Employment Survey 2016