Over 280 applications, 0 offers: Fresh grad's year-long job hunt highlights new jobseeker woes , Singapore News

AsiaOne

4 days ago

She had graduated with a bachelor's degree from the National University of Singapore's Business School in April 2024, but it has taken her more than a year to secure a full-time job.
The 25-year-old, who wanted to be known as Adeline, has been working in a marketing agency since June. She told AsiaOne that her job hunt saw her apply for various positions in government agencies, multinational corporations as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Amid the tears and growing resignation, she still managed to create an Excel sheet to track her progress.
Out of 287 applications, Adeline reached the initial HR screening for 12 positions. She advanced to interviews with hiring managers for eight of those and completed the full interview process for four roles — only to be either ghosted or ultimately told she was not the right fit.
'In that sense, a lot of time and effort was invested with little to no progress,' added Adeline.
Adeline's experiences are a reflection of the recent struggles of other fresh graduates in their job search.
The latest annual graduate employment surveys conducted by local universities and polytechnics show that fewer of their fresh graduates secured full-time employment in 2024.
For fresh graduates from the universities, 79.5 per cent of them secured full-time jobs in 2024, down from 84.1 per cent in 2023.
Employment outcomes for polytechnic graduates also declined, with 54.6 per cent of them in full-time permanent jobs in 2024, down from about 60 per cent in 2023.
Yvonne Tan, a certified Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) senior professional, told AsiaOne that economic uncertainty is the reason why some businesses are hiring fewer fresh graduates.
'Many are focusing on cost control and prefer experienced hires who can contribute immediately,' she said.
Tan observed that the technology industry has seen the largest decline in entry-level openings.
This is due to jobs that have been reduced or outsourced to other countries in the region, such as India, Vietnam and the Philippines.
'It has made it more difficult for fresh graduates to enter the tech industry unless they possess in-demand niche skills or have completed relevant internships that give them the competitive edge,' she said.
The banking and finance industries have also seen fewer entry-level roles in Singapore, according to Tan.
These include job functions such as operations, compliance processing and support services — roles that are viewed as stepping stones into the sector, she added. Boosting fresh grads' employability
Speaking to the media earlier this month, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang said that the Government is watching the employment situation of fresh graduates closely.
She pointed out how institutes of higher learning are stepping up to help graduates having difficulties in their job search — offering career coaching, networking opportunities, upskilling courses, and organising career fairs.
There are also moves by schools to highlight graduates' soft skills to potential employers, as hiring moves towards a skills-first model.
One such initiative is the Singapore Management University's co-curricular transcript, which its graduating class of 2025 will receive on top of their academic transcript.
A first among universities here, the transcript indicates the skill sets the student has developed through their co-curricular activities, and the extent to which the individual has developed these skill sets through progressive levels.
Besides a documentation of a student's growth, Professor Paulin Straughan, SMU's dean of students, told AsiaOne that the co-curricular transcript will help fresh graduates, who typically do not have much formal work experience, to stand out during the hiring process.
'We heard from employers how very often it was challenging to identify applicants who already possess critical core skills and the right attributes to contribute effectively at the workplace,' she said.
'These are qualities that aren't captured in an applicant's academic grades or grade point average.'
While schools can give students a lift in their job prospects, HR professional Tan said that fresh graduates can boost their employability by gaining real-world experience through part-time jobs or internships during school breaks.
'Taking short learning courses, even those unrelated to their field of study such as artificial intelligence or digital tools, can help them stay relevant and stand out to employers," she added. 'Silver lining' in latest data
Despite the gloomy outlook, Tan observed that the employment prospects for fresh graduates will improve in the next six to 12 months — though recovery will be slow.
'There might be contract roles available, and fresh grads who are open to such opportunities will be better positioned to benefit,' she added.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng had also expressed a similar view about keeping an open mind, adding that he sees some "silver lining" based on employment data.
Calling for graduates and parents to 'stay calm', he pointed out during a Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce press conference on July 10 that the employment rate for the 2025 university graduating cohort was 51.9 per cent in June.
This is four percentage points higher than the rate in June 2024.
"We have heard, for instance, about these fresh graduates who may face anxieties starting their careers in these turbulent times,' he said.
"We understand their anxieties, but we want them to be assured that there is support available."
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