1,700 unemployed graduates increasing sense of job competition in 2025

External factors are also adding to fresh graduates’ anxieties.

Fresh graduates face heightened job competition as more enter the jobseeker pool, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said.

According to Tan, there were about 2,400 more fresh graduates looking for a job instead of either taking a gap break or going for further studies than last year.

“Even though there were about 700 more fresh graduates who were employed, the additional 1,700 active jobseekers who had yet to find a job may have contributed to a stronger sense of job competition among fresh graduates,” Tan said.

Tan also said external factors, including economic headwinds from increased trade tensions, the imposition of tariffs, geopolitical conflict and growing concerns over artificial intelligence taking over entry-level jobs, have added to the anxieties of fresh graduates.

Tan said that though graduate employment rates remain stable, there is a need to support the additional influx of graduates looking for work.

“We have introduced GRIT to give graduates an opportunity to pick up industry experience and practical skills to boost their employability in the longer term. This model builds on positive results seen for the trainees who participated in the COVID-era SGUnited Traineeships (SGUT),” Tan said.

The minister said that close to 90% of SGUT trainees found regular employment within six months after completion.

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