Clarification by Minister of State for Education
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This clarification concerns factual corrections made by Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang regarding employment statistics for young adults previously cited in Parliament. Minister of State Gan Siow Huang specified that the stable employment trends and low long-term unemployment rates discussed refer specifically to Autonomous University graduates aged 25 to 29. She further clarified that the 95% figure represents the proportion of employed graduates within this age group who held full-time jobs in 2024. These corrected figures support her argument that graduates are not experiencing prolonged difficulties in their job searches. Ultimately, the statement ensures that the parliamentary record accurately reflects the employment situation and stability for university-educated Singaporeans in the workforce.
Transcript
The following statements were made in the reply provided by the Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) to Question Nos 1 to 3 during Question Time at the Sitting of 7 March 2025:
(a) The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang): The employment rates for Singaporeans aged 25 to 29 have remained broadly stable over the decade along with low long-term unemployment rates. In 2024, about 95% of this age group were in full-time employment. This suggests that our graduates do not have prolonged job search difficulties. [Please refer to "Analysis of Decreased Employment in Permanent Jobs for Fresh Graduates in Past Two Years and Measures to Monitor and Boost Employment", Official Report, 7 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 160, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
(b) Ms Gan Siow Huang: I think it is important for us to take a step back and look at the employment of our Singaporean adults in the age group, say 25 to 29. What we see is that the trend has been quite stable. The employment rate is 95% and the long-term unemployment for this group is very low. [Please refer to "Analysis of Decreased Employment in Permanent Jobs for Fresh Graduates in Past Two Years and Measures to Monitor and Boost Employment", Official Report, 7 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 160, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
Written statement by Ms Gan Siow Huang circulated with leave of the Speaker in accordance with Standing Order No 29(5):
I wish to make the following factual corrections to my statements made at the Sitting of 7 March 2025. My statements should read as follows:
(a) The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang): The employment rates for AU graduates aged 25 to 29 have remained broadly stable over the decade along with low long-term unemployment rates. In 2024, about 95% of the employed graduates in this age group were in full-time employment. This suggests that our graduates do not have prolonged job search difficulties.
(b) Ms Gan Siow Huang: I think it is important for us to take a step back and look at the employment of our AU graduates in the age group, say 25 to 29. What we see is that the trend has been quite stable. The long-term unemployment for this group is very low and among the employed graduates, the full-time employment rate is 95%.