Differences in Employment and Salary Outcomes for Graduates from Different University Courses

14 Ms See Jinli Jean asked the Minister for Education in light of the 2023 Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey, whether the Ministry plans to (i) discover why, when compared with their university peers, the arts, design and media graduates have poorer employment and salary outcomes and the health sciences graduates have poorer salary outcomes (ii) engage graduates of such courses on how to improve their employment outcomes and (iii) engage the relevant sector agencies and stakeholders to take steps to narrow the employment and salary outcome gap.

The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, arts, design and media (ADM) graduates have seen stable employment outcomes and wage increases over the years. In the last 10 years, the average employment rate for ADM graduates was around 88% and the starting salary increased about 3.4% every year. The employment rate and salary level for fresh graduates in this sector are typically lower compared to their peers who join other sectors, such as engineering, built environment and business.

This is reflective of the economic demand and the labour market conditions of each sector. The nature of work and business structures in the ADM sector also mean that there is a higher proportion of freelancers and self-employed persons (SEPs) compared to other sectors.

Under Our SG Arts Plan (2023-2027), the National Arts Council (NAC) is taking active steps to grow capabilities and excellence in the arts sector and support the training and development of SEPs. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) have also been working closely with the universities and key industry partners to provide our graduates with a good education and relevant, in-demand skill sets to take on good jobs and thrive in the workplace. Dsg also facilitates partnerships between universities and companies, such as through the Design Education Advisory Committee, to enhance industry exposure and internship opportunities for our students.

As for health sciences graduates, while the growth in median salaries over the past ten years has been lower than the other graduates from the universities, it increased by 6% in 2023, which was higher than the average increase for university graduates in general. The Ministry of Health (MOH) continues to work with healthcare clusters to review the starting salary and salary package of healthcare workers on a regular basis, to ensure that the salaries remain competitive. MOH also provided funding support to the community care sector over the last 10 years to uplift salaries and most recently, put out salary guidelines for the sector.

To support all students and graduates as they enter the workforce, our universities organise career fairs and have career coaches to provide mentoring and workshops. Graduates can also approach Workforce Singapore's Careers Connect or NTUC's e2i career centres, if they require support in their job search. At the same time, we encourage our students to consider longer-term factors, such as career progression, salary and growth opportunities in the sector, as they pursue their passion and decide on the course of study in the universities.

Mr Speaker: Ms See.

Ms See Jinli Jean (Nominated Member): I thank the Minister of State. I have two supplementary questions. The first is relating to arts and design. I do understand that if we look at arts and design as a vertical skill, then in terms of opportunities, it is quite confined. But I just would like to follow up on some of the mentions in my previous Budget speech. Looking at the growth of various sectors, such as tourism, entertainment and so forth; in Singapore, where, in terms of growth potential and economic opportunities are much more, what would be the steps taken to integrate these creative arts professionals in these fields, with these growth industries? So, that is one.

Second, for health sciences, I also do understand that there is a big push for Healthier SG. What are the opportunity spaces in which the schools are looking at to bridge these graduates with the opportunities on-stream?

Ms Gan Siow Huang: I certainly agree with both points. For the arts and design graduates, just for Member's information, they do not just go to arts and design jobs. From the data that we have collected, many of them actually go into public relations, product design, advertising, sales, marketing, graphic design, tourism and many more. So, indeed, in our education, we hope to equip our students with both broad-based as well as vertical skill sets, so that they have more opportunities and career choices when they graduate.

For health sciences, yes, Healthier SG is an exciting development. The Ministry of Education (MOE) will work very closely with MOH to make sure that the curriculum and the skills frameworks are updated so that our students will have maximal opportunities when they graduate.