30% OF GRADUATES UNEMPLOYED, 30% EARN LESS THAN $2,000?

Survey on private universities’ degrees

I refer to the articles “Move to gauge worth of private degrees” and “Private schools hold own surveys” (Straits Times, Jan 4).

The former states that “But Mr Ng knows he is luckier than his peers. “I have friends who also went for a degree, but it made no difference to their work. It’s quite common and is partly why I didn’t pursue a degree earlier.”"

73% of SIM graduates found full-time jobs?

As to the latter article’s “Its (SIM) survey for the Class of 2014 noted that 73 per cent of its graduates had found full-time jobs within six months. It also reported an average gross monthly salary of $2,766 for graduates in full-time jobs.

The National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University reported a consolidated gross mean salary of $3,333 a month for the Class of 2014.

80% of public universities’ graduates found full-time jobs?

More than eight in 10 of their 10,126 graduates surveyed found full-time jobs within six months of their last exam.

Private universities giving more statistics?

The Singapore Institute of Technology reported a gross mean monthly salary of $3,010″– what may perhaps be interesting to note is that some of the private universities may be giving more statistics than the public universities.

30% earned less than $2,000?

For example – “At JCU, its survey of students who graduated at the end of 2013 and in 2014 found that more than seven in 10 were settled in jobswithin six months. About half had salaries of between $2,001 and $3,000, and about 30 per cent made less than $2,000 a month”.

30% unemployed?

Does this mean that about 30 per cent were unemployed?

More “public universities” statistics please?

So, what is the 30th percentile salary for the public universities? Also around $2,000 like JCU’s?

In respect of “MDIS did not provide the salary details of its graduates, but said that in 2014, about eight in 10 of its students had found full-time or part-time jobs six months after graduating” – does it mean that about 20 per cent were unemployed?

Part-timers and unemployed are forgotten?

Also, why are there no “public universities” statistics on the graduates who are working in “non-permanent” or part-time jobs (not in full-time permanent employment), or unemployed?

Economically active graduates declined by 5.4 per cent?

In this connection, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s Yearbook of Manpower Statistics 2015 –  the proportion of economically active graduates declined by 5.4 per cent from 94.5 per cent in 2007 to 89.1 per cent in 2014.

Full-time employed graduates dropped 7.1%?

Full-time permanently employed graduates also declined by 7.1 per cent from 89.8 per cent in 2007 to 82.7 per cent in 2014.

Real starting salary growth -9% last 7 years?

The median starting salary for graduates increased by only 16.4 per cent from $2,750 in 2007 to $3,200 in 2014. As inflation from 2007 to 2014 was 25.5 per cent – does it mean that the real starting salary growth was -9.1 per cent (25.5 – 16.4) over the seven years?

Only 6 in 10 poly graduates found full-time jobs?

Polytechnic graduates may even be worse off as full-time permanently employed polytechnic fresh graduates declined by a whopping 15.9 per cent from 75.3 per cent in 2007 to 59.4 per cent in 2014.

Huge influx of foreign workers?

To what extent has the huge influx of foreigners to an estimated non-Singaporean share of the total workforce to 48 per cent now, and our liberal foreign labour policies contributed to the above?

LeongSzeHian