Combined Oral Answers to PQs on Graduate Employment

File Reference No: MMPO 68, 78, 80, 84, 90, 97, 99, 108, 109, 119, 112, 113, 150, 152, 153, 156, 157 / 2025 and MMPW 124, 151 / 2025

NOTICE PAPER NO. 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 16, 17, 20, 26, 44 OF 2025 FOR SITTINGS ON OR AFTER 22 SEPTEMBER 2025
QUESTIONS NO. 3, 9, 27, 40, 53, 78, 83, 100, 116, 122, 129, 135, 152, 200, 345, 354, 373, 385, 454, 474 FOR ORAL/WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Yip Hon Weng
*3. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what key factors contribute to the decrease in employment in permanent jobs for fresh graduates; (b) what are the goals and KPIs of the new Government-funded traineeship programme for recent graduates; and (c) how does it address the factors affecting permanent jobs for fresh graduates and what other measures are planned to arrest this employment trend.

MP: Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui
*9. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme will affect the long-term earning potential of fresh graduates; (b) what guardrails guide its implementation and how are these reviewed; and (c) how are host employers and sectors selected, especially in strategic growth sectors.

MP: Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song
*27. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how the initial number of 800 Graduate Industry Traineeship positions was determined; and (b) what is the Ministry's projected demand for traineeship placements based on the number of recent graduates in 2024 and 2025 who are seeking employment.

MP: Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat
*40. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has any plan to audit employers which use Government traineeship grants to displace employees or serially replace former trainees rather than create new roles; (b) if so, what are the planned audit mechanisms; and (c) whether the Ministry has any plan to establish a public debarment list of errant companies to protect jobseekers from exploitative firms.

MP: Mr Liang Eng Hwa
*53. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of companies that will be participating in the GRaduate Industry Traineeships programme; and (b) what is the allocation breakdown of the 800 traineeship places among the universities, polytechnics and ITEs.

MP: Ms Gho Sze Kee
*78. To askthe Minister for Manpower (a) how many companies are currently on board the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme; and (b) how will the Ministry monitor and ensure the quality of the traineeship experience.

MP: Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan
*83. To ask the Minister for Manpower what plans does the Ministry have to encourage host employers to fairly consider fresh graduates participating in the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme for conversion to full-time positions.

MP: Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis
100. To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the Ministry’s rationale for not considering trainees under the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme and Mid-Career Pathways Programme to be in an employer-employee relationship with their host organisation.

MP: Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo
*116. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what measures are there to ensure that GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) offer meaningful, structured learning experiences for fresh graduates; (b) how will the Ministry monitor the quality of host organisations and mentorship provided; and (c) how will GRIT draw from best practices in internship programmes at tertiary institutions for a win-win outcome for trainees and participating companies.

MP: Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis
*122. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how is the traineeship allowance of $1,800 to $2,400 for the GRaduate Industry Traineeships Programme determined; and (b) how does this compare with average salaries in the past year for fresh graduates from universities, polytechnics, ITEs and other educational institutions.

MP: Mr Xie Yao Quan
*129. To ask the Minister for Manpower in respect of a lower proportion of fresh graduates from Institutes of Higher Learning landing full-time permanent employment after graduation (a) what are the cyclical and structural factors contributing to this trend; (b) how does the GRaduate Industry Traineeships Programme (GRIT) address these factors; and (c) what further measures is the Ministry considering to address these factors.

NCMP: Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan
*135. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the mean and median starting salaries of graduates who have taken part in the SGUnited Traineeship Programme and (i) who are subsequently employed by their host organisation or (ii) found employment elsewhere; and (b) how do these figures compare against those of graduates who found employment without having taken part in the Programme.

MP: Dr Hamid Razak
*152. To ask the Minister for Manpower what safeguards are in place under the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme to ensure that the emphasis remains on providing meaningful training and developmental opportunities to fresh graduates, rather than on cost-savings for host organisations.

MP: Ms Lee Hui Ying
208. To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the GRaduate Industry Traineeship Programme includes requirements for employers to consider and facilitate the conversion of trainees to full-time employees after the end of the traineeship programme.

NCMP: Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan
*345. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the policy rationale for focusing the GRaduate Industry Traineeship (GRIT) Programme on the financial services, information and communication technology, manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors; and (b) what specific metrics will be used to measure the quality of the placements, beyond the completion of the traineeship, to ensure a high conversion rate to full-time employment.

MP: Mr Ng Shi Xuan:
*354. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the eligibility and selection criteria for participating host organisations under the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider if a prospective host organisation has engaged in a recent retrenchment exercise when determining its eligibility to participate in the programme.

MP: Mr Ng Shi Xuan
*373. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the safeguards to prevent abuse of the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme by participating host organisations, including (i) excessive or unreasonable working hours (ii) inadequate rest and (iii) lack of mandatory sick or hospitalisation leave entitlements; and (b) what avenues of recourse are available to trainees in such situations.

MP: Ms Poh Li San
*385. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) out of the 800 vacancies under the GRaduate Industry Traineeship (GRIT) Programme, what is the split of vacancies allocated for (i) GRIT versus GRIT@Gov (ii) graduates from universities, polytechnics versus those from Institutes of Technical Education (ITE), respectively; and (b) what is the selection criteria and mechanism for applications.

MP: Dr Charlene Chen
*454. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry collaborate with Institutes of Higher Learning on graduate job placements and recruitment; and (b) how does it ensure that employment support reaches a broad range of students, with targeted assistance for those who have not secured internships or traineeships.

MP: Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin
*474. To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry ensure that GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) employers provide meaningful and structured training aimed at equipping trainees for full employment; and (b) what measures are in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of the traineeship experience to support trainees' successful transition into the workforce.

Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to address the following PQs on graduate employment and the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) programme together:
a. Questions filed by Mr Louis Chua and Ms Eileen Chong from yesterday’s sitting. Oral questions numbers 13 to 21 from today’s order paper, on graduate employment;
b. Oral and written questions filed by Ms Lee Hui Ying, Mr Kenneth Tiong, Ms Eileen Chong, Mr Ng Shi Xuan, Ms Poh Li San, Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, and Dr Charlene Chen on the subsequent sittings, also relating to graduate employment;

I would also like to invite all Members to seek clarifications after and consider withdrawing the questions filed for future sittings if it has been addressed.

2. Mr Yip Hon Weng and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about the key factors contributing to the decrease in permanent employment of fresh graduates. First, I would like to clarify that we have not seen a decrease in permanent employment of fresh graduates in the 2025 cohort so far. Mr Yip and Mr Xie may be referring to the decrease in the permanent employment rate of fresh graduates six months after graduation from 2023 to 2024 reported in the Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey. Based on our data so far, we have in fact seen some improvement in employment rates from 2024 to 2025. As of June this year, around 9,300 graduates from the 2025 cohort, or 52%, were employed. This employment rate was higher than that of the 2024 cohort at the same time last year, when 8,600 graduates, or 48% of the 2024 cohort, were employed. The proportion of graduates in permanent employment has also increased, at about 44% in 2025 compared to 37% in 2024. I believe these figures will improve further as many graduates were only beginning their job search in June. The employment rate of the 2024 cohort has risen from 48%, as mentioned earlier, to 88% this June.

3. That said, Members of the House, we recognise the anxieties and challenges faced by fresh graduates in their job search. Based on our data, we assess that this might be partly driven by a significantly higher number of fresh graduates from the 2025 cohort entering the job market immediately after graduation compared to last year. With your permission, Mr Speaker, may I display a chart to better illustrate my point, and ask the Clerks to distribute a copy as well. Members may also access these materials through the MP@SGPARL App.

4. If you look at the chart, compared to the same time last year, there were about 2,400 more fresh graduates looking for a job instead of either taking a gap break or going for further studies.  Hence, even though there were about 700 more fresh graduates who were employed, the additional 1,700 active jobseekers who had yet to find a job may have contributed to a stronger sense of job competition among fresh graduates. Moreover, external factors including economic headwinds from increased trade tensions, the imposition of tariffs, and geopolitical conflict and growing concerns over artificial intelligence taking over entry-level jobs have added to the anxieties of our fresh graduates.

5. Therefore, even though graduate employment rates remain stable, we need to support the additional influx of graduates looking for work. We have introduced GRIT to give graduates an opportunity to pick up industry experience and practical skills to boost their employability in the longer term. This model builds on positive results seen for the trainees who participated in the COVID-era SGUnited Traineeships (SGUT). To Ms Eileen Chong’s question, close to 90% of SGUT trainees found regular employment within six months after completion. While the median starting salary for degree graduate trainees who participated in SGUT, at close to $3,400, was slightly lower than the median of $3,700 reported in the Joint Autonomous University Graduate Employment Survey 2020, these figures are not directly comparable because the demographics of both groups differ. The economic context for the introduction of SGUT and GRIT also differ - SGUT focused on increasing capacity to reduce graduate unemployment during an economic crisis, while our current GRIT programme focuses on provision of a limited number of quality traineeship opportunities to provide reassurance to graduates. Hence, the outcomes for GRIT may not mirror that of SGUT. 

6. There have been several questions raised over how GRIT can support graduates to gain sustained full-time employment eventually. We have designed the scheme with a few key considerations to achieve this. First, we will ensure that the traineeships are of high quality, so that they improve the employability of graduates in the longer term. Mr Edward Chia, Ms Gho Sze Kee, and Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked about the selection of companies currently on-board for GRIT. Workforce Singapore (WSG) has worked with sector agencies to identify leading companies as host organisations for the programme. These companies come from key growth sectors such as Financial Services and Information & Communications which offer a large number of good jobs. They have a good track record of hiring and training locals, and are committed to offer a good mix of traineeship roles for graduates from all our educational institutions. 

7. To Mr Chia’s, Ms Gho’s, Ms Jessica Tan’s, Ms Nadia Ahmad  Samdin’s and Dr Hamid Razak’s questions about how the Ministry will monitor the quality of the traineeship experience, host companies will need to submit a traineeship development plan with learning outcomes that WSG will regularly review. WSG will also conduct check-ins with trainees to monitor and ensure the quality of the traineeship experience. These structured traineeships with leading companies will position our trainees in good stead for roles within or beyond the host organisations. 

8. Ms Chong, Mr Patrick Tay, and Ms Lee Hui Ying asked how we would support the conversion of trainees to full-time positions. To strengthen the pathway to full-time employment, WSG will strongly encourage host organisations to offer full-time employment where possible. To support host organisations to do so even before the traineeships end, we will continue to provide allowance subsidies for host organisations that convert trainees who have completed at least three months of the traineeship. In addition, as part of the check in with the trainees before the end of the traineeship, WSG will also proactively share employment resources, including career matching services to support trainees’ transition to full time employment.

9. Second, we have designed the scheme to provide support without crowding out full-time job positions that companies might otherwise offer to fresh graduates. To Mr Gerald Giam’s and Ms Poh Li San’s question on the initial number of places, we have started GRIT with an initial capacity of 800 places – 500 private sector and 300 public sector. Last week when I released the Labour Market Report for 2Q 2025, I also shared that there are 30,000 entry-level job positions available today for our fresh graduates to apply. I hope you can understand why we have very tightly ensured that this programme does not end up cannibalising. This helps to safeguard the quality of traineeships and manage the risk of crowding out full-time positions. To Mr Louis Chua’s question on how we determined the traineeship allowance, we capped the maximum at $2,400, approximately half of the median starting salary of fresh graduates from autonomous universities. This is similar to the quantum for SGUT, and is calibrated to ensure that trainees continue to prioritise full-time roles. 

10. We also capped the duration of traineeships at six months to encourage employers to seriously consider the trainees for a higher paying full-time job at the end of the traineeship. This relates to Mr Chua’s other question on why trainees will not be considered employees of the host organisation. GRIT is meant to offer traineeships that build skills and early work experience through on-the-job training. It is not meant to be an employment subsidy typically used to support groups that face more serious and chronic barriers to employment such as persons with disabilities. If companies see the value of trainees and wish to engage them on a longer-term basis, they should offer full-time positions. 

11. Third, GRIT is designed to mitigate the risk of displacing existing employees, including mid-career workers. We have carefully selected host organisations that actively participate in workforce development efforts, including MOM/WSG programmes that support mid-career workers. To Mr Ng Shi Xuan’s question, WSG will also conduct checks on host companies’ recent retrenchment activities to ensure that the traineeship roles are not similar to that of impacted workers. This also speaks to Mr Kenneth Tiong’s question on the risk of employers using traineeship grants to displace employees. Moreover, the traineeship allowance is calibrated to be lower than what host organisations can receive for mature individuals undergoing attachments under the Mid-Career Pathways Programme.  

12. The Government stands ready to roll out further support if necessary. We are prepared to increase traineeship places and extend the programme if economic conditions worsen, or if there is demand for more traineeship places due to good outcomes for both graduates and employers. 

13. In the meantime, we encourage all of our fresh graduates to tap on the extensive career guidance and job matching support that has been made available through the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), WSG and NTUC’s e2i. To Dr Charlene Chen’s query, to complement the Education and Career Guidance (ECG) provided by MOE/IHLs, WSG and its partners offers a variety of career services and resources to students seeking to enter the workforce. This includes career advisory and coaching services provided by both WSG and e2i, which can be complemented with industry insights offered by WSG’s Volunteer Career Advisors. Individuals can also look for job opportunities on WSG’s MyCareersFuture portal, utilising its CareersFinder feature to explore potential careers and upskilling options.