THE worst is yet to be, many soon-to-be graduates thought late last year as they braced themselves for a tough job search amid the global slump.
But as they attend their graduation ceremonies this month, many are finding the job market is not that bleak after all.
At the Singapore Management University (SMU), preliminary estimates show that of 820 students who graduated in May and June, two-thirds have found jobs or secured job offers.
SMU has a graduating cohort of 1,100 this year.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 7,983 graduates this year. A straw poll shows only a 3 per cent dip in the number of students who have found jobs compared to the batch last year.
'To our pleasant surprise, we didn't do too badly and things weren't that drastic,' said NTU's career and attachment office director Loh Pui Wah.
Mr Loh attributed this to the graduates' quality education, internship experiences and government schemes.
On SMU's figures, director of career services Ruth Chiang said: 'It's encouraging, considering that they secured jobs within two months of graduation.'
Many of SMU's recent graduates, she said, have joined the financial services sector - in banks, private equity firms and fund houses. Several have gone into consulting and the public sector.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) could not give a figure but said many of its graduates have been hired in areas such as research and development, offshore engineering, financial services, urban and landscape design as well as consulting.
NUS has a graduating cohort of 8,810 this year.
- The Straits Times
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