SINGAPORE – Recent and soon-to-be graduates are struggling in a tough job market. With it becoming increasingly difficult to find permanent positions in their desired fields, more are turning to contract roles or taking jobs unrelated to their majors.

Nur Farisya Binte Fahrurazi, 20, a graduate of Nanyang Polytechnic (NP)'s School of Business, is one of the young people experiencing this reality. Since graduating in May, she has applied to over 20 places but only had five interview opportunities and received final offers from just two. She will start working as a contract administrative officer at a pharmaceutical company in July.

Farisya originally hoped to work in marketing. However, most of the job offers she received were for administrative roles. She lamented, "After looking at the job market, most marketing positions require a degree or a minimum of three years of experience. These conditions do not apply to me right now." Her portfolio, which primarily consists of personal projects rather than professional ones, further hindered her job search.

Feeling vague and anxious about employment, she sought advice from her polytechnic's education and career counselor. Following the counselor's recommendation, she applied for and secured an administrative position. Farisya is currently working as a contract staff member at NP's Centre for Experiential Learning, where she previously completed a six-month credited internship.

Farisya, who found marketing jobs "too difficult," stated that she is content with administrative work for now. She believes that administrative work is "somewhat related" to her major and added, "Personally, a permanent position would be better, but there aren't many opportunities right now, so a contract position is fine. I believe more opportunities will come in the future. If there's something to learn in this role, I'm willing to take on a contract position."

After meeting with polytechnic students on Wednesday (July 9), Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Trade and Industry (MTI) and Foreign Affairs (MFA), told the media that the government is closely monitoring the employment situation. Minister Gan stated that due to economic uncertainty, this year's graduates are "understandably showing more anxiety and worry" compared to previous cohorts.

The Ministry of Education in Singapore added that education and career counselors at universities and higher education institutions are working closely with Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to support graduates in their job search. This is part of an effort to build a multifaceted support system for graduates facing difficulties in the job market.

In particular, the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce is looking for additional ways to support students who are job searching. Minister Gan said, "The current job market is still relatively stable. Companies are still hiring, and jobs are still available. Therefore, we encourage graduates to remain optimistic, broaden their job search if possible, and seek out career counselors if needed."

Minister Gan also conveyed a message to businesses. She appealed to companies to consider hiring new graduates who are "well-qualified, skilled, and eager to work" from a long-term perspective. She emphasized the importance of talent development, stating, "This actually helps companies with leadership renewal and talent development."

Currently, the Singapore labor market has a high employment rate, but there is a mismatch where certain industries or jobs experience labor shortages, while there is an oversupply in jobs preferred by graduates. Furthermore, the rapid changes in technology and industrial restructuring mean that companies are demanding higher competencies from new hires, which is also identified as a cause of the job crunch.

Accordingly, the Singapore government is expected to continue its efforts to enhance graduates' employability and meet companies' labor demands by strengthening vocational training and reskilling programs, fostering tailored talent development through industry collaboration, and expanding internship and on-the-job experience opportunities.

Additionally, job seekers are encouraged to constantly acquire new skills and develop the ability to flexibly adapt to changing market conditions rather than just looking for jobs. This will be an essential factor for recent graduates like Farisya to forge their own paths and achieve long-term career goals in an uncertain employment market.