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

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

AsiaOne2 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."
[[nid:719202]]
chingshijie@asiaone.com
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Cat A COE prices remain unchanged in second bidding exercise for July 2025, Lifestyle News
Cat A COE prices remain unchanged in second bidding exercise for July 2025, Lifestyle News

AsiaOne

time13 hours ago

  • AsiaOne

Cat A COE prices remain unchanged in second bidding exercise for July 2025, Lifestyle News

Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices slightly increased across most categories in the second bidding exercise for July 2025, with Cat A premiums remaining the same from earlier this month. Cat A COEs, which are used for cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs) of up to 1,600cc in capacity and have a power output of less than 130hp, as well as electric cars with a power output of up to 110kW, saw no change to end the bidding exercise at $101,102. Cat B COEs, which are used for ICE cars that exceed 1,600cc in capacity or have more than 130hp, and electric cars with over 110kW, saw premiums going down by $499 to end at $119,101. Cat C, which are for goods vehicles and buses, saw prices went up by $1,911 to end the bidding exercise at $68,600. Cat D, which are reserved for motorcycles, went up by $122 to close at $9,511. Finally, Cat E, which is open to all vehicles except motorcycles, saw premiums go up by $1,500 to finish the exercise at $120,000. Here's a summary of the second COE bidding exercise for July 2025: Category Current COE Previous COE Difference PQP* A $101,102 $101,102 $0 $99,643 (July) $100,473 (Aug) B $119,101 $119,600 -$499 $116,909 (July) $117,542 (Aug) C $68,600 $66,689 +$1,911 $64,427 (July) $64,678 (Aug) D $9,511 $9,389 +$122 $9,036 (July) $8,986 (Aug) E $120,000 $118,500 +$1,500 Not applicable *PQP, or Prevailing Quota Premium, is the moving average of COE prices in the last 3 months, and denotes the amount payable in order to renew a car's COE at the end of its tenure. No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.

No one to be left behind in Singapore's AI push, says Tan Kiat How
No one to be left behind in Singapore's AI push, says Tan Kiat How

Business Times

timea day ago

  • Business Times

No one to be left behind in Singapore's AI push, says Tan Kiat How

[SINGAPORE] The government is doing all it can to help companies, workers and citizens harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), said Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How at an event on Tuesday (Jul 22). 'We are putting in place the infrastructure, the investment ecosystem to help companies and workers make full use of this technology', he said in a speech at the DBS 'Live Fulfilled' employee carnival. To help small businesses adopt AI, the government is running programmes such as SMEs Go Digital, which provides financial support for the adoption of advanced digital tools such as Gen AI, he said. There are also efforts to ensure that companies stay safe from potential cyberattacks – whether they are large enterprises often facing online threats, or smaller businesses that are still vulnerable. By supporting the integration of AI in companies' work processes, the government is also giving workers the opportunity to learn the right way to use AI tools, Tan noted. In addition, ambassadors from the SG Digital Office are teaching the elderly digital skills such as Gen AI. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am SGSME Get updates on Singapore's SME community, along with profiles, news and tips. Sign Up Sign Up Tan gave the example of a grandmother using Gen AI to find a simplified recipe for fish and chips, which she wanted to cook for her grandson. 'We are not leaving anyone behind (in the adoption of AI)', he said. He believes that AI will not steal the jobs of human workers because there are many tasks it cannot perform. In the tech sector, AI can generate code efficiently – but someone needs to define what the code should do and whether it is reliable. Although the nature of jobs may change, 'in Singapore, especially when we don't have enough people, there will always be jobs', he said. Companies may be anxious about using AI, so large institutions such as DBS can 'lead by example' through active adoption of the technology, he noted. DBS introduces AI career coach At the carnival, DBS launched iCoach – a Gen AI-powered virtual coach for its employees. The program can be accessed by the bank's offices in Singapore, Indonesia, India, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, a spokesperson from the bank said during a product demonstration. iCoach's knowledge base was developed jointly with Marshall Goldsmith, a career coach with more than four decades of experience working with managers and executives. The virtual coach provides employees with personalised, on-demand career guidance to help them navigate the workplace. Available around the clock, it draws on DBS' roles, functions and internal mobility pathways to deliver relevant career advice. Seventy per cent of coached employees made improvements in work performance, relationships and communication, and 80 per cent reported higher self-confidence, data from International Coaching Federation and Better Up Career Coaching indicated. In response to The Business Times' query on whether iCoach will be used widely by DBS employees, the bank's spokesperson said the launch event was a key attempt at raising awareness of the tool. Employees also have access to human resource software that may guide them to iCoach, she added.

DBS new gen AI virtual coach can help employees seeking dream roles in the bank
DBS new gen AI virtual coach can help employees seeking dream roles in the bank

Straits Times

timea day ago

  • Straits Times

DBS new gen AI virtual coach can help employees seeking dream roles in the bank

Find out what's new on ST website and app. SINGAPORE – DBS Bank employees will be able to tap a new virtual coach meant to help them perform to their best and to figure out future career moves within the bank. Dubbed iCoach, the generative artificial intelligence-powered software will guide users via a virtual persona called Ren. It was launched during DBS' sixth Live Fulfilled Carnival, an employee event held on July 22 at its Marina Bay Financial Centre headquarters attended by Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How. The chatbot is able to identify what viable career shifts employees can make with their current role and skill sets. It can also tell them what more they need to qualify for dream roles, provide practical tips on how to demonstrate sought-after traits for such roles, as well as highlight the available support for formal training they may need. The answers are customised to each employee's professional background and personal motivations. The chatbot will be made available to employees in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and India to start with. At the event, Mr Tan, who is also Senior Minister of State for Health, spoke on the prospects of AI and robotics, as well as the need to ensure trust and inclusive adoption of both technologies in a keynote speech. This means lifting up people here via the right training and investment ecosystem to ensure Singapore remains relevant in the tech world, he said. This includes helping companies, even smaller firms, to find ways to adopt AI and stay safe from digital threats. The Government has consistently invested in people here in previous waves of computerisation and digitalisation, he said, and it will continue doing so to help workers make full use of AI and other new technologies. 'Our workers can only be productive only if they use the tools in the right way, with the right work processes.' In a subsequent fireside chat with DBS Singapore country head Lim Him Chuan, Mr Tan talked about the need for workers to also take ownership of their own skill gaps, and how banks like DBS can help foster greater adoption of new technologies by leading by example. Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How (left) and DBS Singapore country head Lim Him Chuan during a fireside chat on July 22. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Guard rails to make sure that AI output is explainable, fair and trustworthy will be essential too, he added. Trained with DBS internal documents to have the right context, iCoach is a joint development with top leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith – his first with an Asian company. It complements an existing chatbot already in use within the bank for more general applications. The virtual coach will also provide staff another option to get solid advice on demand at all times, on top of existing avenues to arrange for meetings with managers, mentors or human resources teammates for guidance. Dr Goldsmith told The Straits Times in an e-mail interview that coaching is important especially for those taking up new leadership responsibilities. 'The very behaviours and strengths that helped someone succeed as an individual contributor often fall short when they step into leadership. Coaching helps bridge that gap,' he said .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store