Best Graduate Employers in Singapore 2023: Expected Salary, Area of Study, Work Environment, and More

Graduates in Singapore will face an uphill struggle to secure a stable job. With the Singapore labour market continuing to improve in 2022 – total employment hitting 99.5 percent of its pre-COVID-19 level – the external demand outlook remains uncertain.

Job prospects have weakened due to the projected recession and high inflation environment. There are also global headwind factors, including the war in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, and the trajectory of COVID-19, which means that the labor market is not equally strong across industries. 

Understanding which companies are secure and suitable for you would be key. With more than 220 million companies in the world, how do you choose which employer to join for your internship or post graduation. 

In this guide, we’ll break down the top employers you should join based on your field of study and future trends. 

Also, we’ve written a similar article for India

Top 50 Employers for Business Graduates and students in Singapore

If you’re a business graduate, these are the top 50 employers you should consider based on research conducted by Universum among 7,341 students from top universities in Singapore. Google, Apple, and J.P Morgan remains the top 3 most attractive employer since 2021 for business and commerce graduates. DBS dropped from 4th to 8th place year over year while Walt Disney Company gained 1 position during that same period. Singapore Airlines was notably in the top 3 positions for 2019 and 2020 but only achieved 7th position in 2022.

Top 50 Employers for Engineering and natural sciences graduates in Singapore

If you’re an engineering and natural sciences graduate in Singapore, these are the top 50 companies you need to know about. Based on a survey by Universum of students in Universities in Singapore, these companies are rated the highest in terms of most attractive employers. A*STAR overtook Google for the best attractive employer since 2020 but have continued to maintain the top spot for 2022. ST Engineering rose one position from 5th to 4th in 2022. Rolls-Royce broke back into the 5th position – They have not achieved top 5 since 2020.

Top 50 Employers for Information Technology graduates in Singapore

Here’s the top 50 employers for Information technology students and graduates. This list will run through which employers IT Universities and graduates find most attractive. Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook remains in the same top 4 positions respectively. Amazon gained one position since 2021 to occupy the 5th most attractive employer for IT graduates and students. Shopee lost one position and dropped to 6th place.

Top 50 employers for humanities, liberal arts, education graduates in Singapore

For humanities, liberal arts, education graduates, here are the top 50 employers based on survey respondents from Universities in Singapore. Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) shot to the 1st place in 2022, overtaking Google. Ministry of Education also gained one position, finishing as the 2nd most attractive employer for humanities, liberal arts and education graduates in Singapore. Apple also made it into the top 5 position in 2022 for the first time. It’s interesting to note that TikTok, which was founded in 2016 only, is in the 10th spot even though they are a young company.

What do graduates look for in an Employer?

Preferences change overtime. Based on Universum, an encouraging work-life balance, a friendly work environment, and high future earnings are the top 3 most important factors Students look for in an employer. Secure employment and professional training, and development were ranked as 4th and 5th (Two positions lower since 2021).

What do female graduate look for in an employer?

Female graduates place secure employment as a key criteria they look for in an employer, followed by encouraging work-life balance, a friendly work environment, high future earnings, and professional training and development.

What do male graduates look for in an employer?

Male graduates place high future earnings as the most important criteria they look for in an employer, followed by professional training and development, encouraging work-life balance, a friendly work environment, and competitive base salary. Out of the five key considerations, two of the considerations are related to earnings and salary. Males tend to express more risky and aggressive behavior which can be seen in their higher demand for earnings as compared to females. Males tend to apply for jobs when they are only 60% qualified for the job while women prefer to be 100% sure they fit the job before they apply. This confidence gap tends to open more opportunities to men as well.

Top preferred industries and sectors for graduates in Singapore

A survey by Universum showed that the computer software and technology is the most preferred industry for Graduates in Singapore. Education, Banking, and eCommerce were ranked in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place respectively. If we break down by gender preferences, Males graduates prefer the computer and software industry the most while females prefer the education sector.

What is the expected annual salary of graduates in Singapore

On average, Graduates in Singapore expect an annual salary of $50,388 SGD, according the Universum. Male graduates tend to expect 13% more salary ($54,510) than women graduates in Singapore ($47,149). It’s revealing to see that full-time female employees, aged 25 to 54, earned 14.4% lesser than male full-time employees in Singapore. While the gender pay gap has narrowed by 2.8% from 2008 to 2018, we are still anticipating gender pay gap in Singapore, even for graduates.

What do employers look for in graduates and students: Skills and Competencies

A study by NTUC learningHub surveyed employers in Singapore to understand what are the in-demand skills they are looking for in graduates and the workforce.

Singapore employers are increasing it’s focus on digital skills. In the same report, businesses and employers shared the key in-demand digital skills they look to have in graduates. Digital marketing is ranked the most important digital skill employers are looking for.

Not all roles require digital skills, but it’s important to note the trend to be comfortable with digital transformation in whatever roles you end up with. Very little focus is placed on in-demand adaptive skills such as effective communication although it is one of the most transferable skills. More awareness and training is needed to equip graduates and students with better communication skills.

Conclusion

With inflation rising and a poor outlook of the economy in the next few years, Students and graduates need to better train themselves in the right skills, and to approach the right companies that fit their career aspirations.