Increase in Overall Employment Rates and Starting Salaries for SUTD Fresh Graduates

26 Mar 2019
 
  • Overall employment rate increased by 2.6-percentage points to 94.0% compared to 2017
  • Median gross monthly salary for SUTD graduates increased by $150 to $3,850 compared to 2017
  • Follow-up Survey shows high employment rates and high starting salaries for SUTD’s pioneer batch of Architecture and Sustainable Design graduates

For the fourth consecutive year, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has maintained high overall employment rates1 and starting salaries among its fresh graduates in the labour force. 285 out of SUTD’s fourth cohort of 334 fresh graduates participated in the latest Graduate Employment Survey. The survey revealed that more than nine in 10 SUTD fresh graduates in the labour force were employed within six months of completing their final examinations, with the overall employment rate increasing by 2.6-percentage points, from 91.4% in 2017 to 94.0% in 2018. 86.0% of graduates in the labour force secured full-time permanent employment in 2018, similar to 2017. 

The median gross monthly salary for fresh graduates employed in full-time permanent employment was $3,850 in 2018, compared to $3,700 in 2017. The mean gross monthly salary2 among SUTD’s fresh graduates employed in full-time permanent employment increased to $4,071 in 2018, compared to $3,859 in 2017. SUTD’s Information Systems Technology and Design graduates led the cohort with a starting mean gross monthly salary of $4,544 and a median salary of $4,400. The top hiring sectors include Information & Communication, Financial & Insurance, and Scientific Research & Development. Please refer to Annex A for more details on the employment outcomes.

Employment Status of Graduates who participated in the Follow-up Survey 
64 out of 76 SUTD Architecture and Sustainable Design (ASD) graduates participated in the 2018 follow-up survey. These students graduated from SUTD’s pioneer batch in 2015. The majority took up SUTD’s Master of Architecture programme and participated in the survey upon completion of their practical training. Of those in the labour force, 95.1% secured employment.
 
The mean gross monthly salary among those employed in full-time permanent employment is $3,945 while the median gross monthly salary is $4,000.
 
Professor Chong Tow Chong, SUTD’s President said: “I am pleased that for the fourth consecutive year, our Graduate Employment Survey results show that SUTD graduates continue to be well sought-after by employers, enjoying high overall employment rates and starting salaries. This is further affirmation that SUTD’s multi-disciplinary, design-centric education nurtures our students with strong critical thinking, innovation and problem solving abilities, preparing them well for the jobs of tomorrow. Coupled with overseas exposure and internship experiences, we shape SUTD graduates into industry-, world- and future-ready talents for Singapore.”
 
1 The overall employment rate refers to the number of employed graduates working on a full-time permanent, part-time, temporary or freelance basis, as a proportion of graduates in the labour force (i.e. those who were working or not working but actively looking and available for work).
 
2 Gross monthly salary comprises the basic salary, overtime payments, commissions, fixed allowances, and other regular cash payments, before deduction of the employee’s CPF contributions and personal income tax. Employer’s CPF contributions, bonuses, stock options, other lump sum payments, and payments-in-kind are excluded.