More S’pore university, polytechnic graduates land jobs by the one-year mark after leaving school
About seven in 10 university graduates who were unemployed initially found paid work within a year.
In 2025, an estimated 54% of Singapore residents secured a place in a publicly funded university degree programme, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE). Fresh school leavers made up about 44% of these enrollments, while adult learners constituted 10%, primarily pursuing part-time undergraduate programmes. Education Minister Desmond Lee discussed these figures during a written parliamentary reply on November 3 in response to a query from Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC) about how the current participation rate compared to an earlier announced 60% target.
Lee emphasized that the current 54% lifetime cohort participation rate is expected to rise in future years, including among men on national service. The MOE had previously announced in 2023 that the lifetime cohort participation rate would increase from 50% to 60% by 2025, which would add up to 2,300 more publicly funded university places.
Lee clarified that the 60% target is a planned capacity of publicly-funded degree places, not an intake target. The rise in university places was aimed at enabling adult learners to access upgrading pathways, reducing the need for "front-loading" education. Adult learners can benefit from subsidised places, allowing them to enter the workforce first and pursue a degree later.
MOE is working with universities to make programmes more accessible to working adults, such as offering part-time work-study degree programmes and micro-credentials that can be stacked towards a degree. Employers also play a role in supporting continual skills upgrading for their employees.
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