Singapore Management University Graduates Remain Resilient in Cautious Job Market; 91.4% Secured Employment

SINGAPORE, March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Graduates from Singapore Management University continue to secure good employment outcomes despite a more cautious hiring climate, with more than nine in ten securing employment within six months of graduation, according to the latest Joint Autonomous University Graduate Employment Survey (JAUGES) 2025.

The results suggest sustained employer demand for graduates with industry exposure and applied skills, even as organisations become more cautious amid global economic uncertainty and accelerating automation.

Strong Employment Outcomes in a More Cautious Hiring Environment

SMU graduates remain in demand and continue to demonstrate resilience in a moderated hiring environment. The results were revealed in the annual JAUGES, jointly conducted by SMU and the other Autonomous Universities. Of SMU’s 2,331 graduates in the Class of 2025, 1,710 responded to the survey, representing a 73.4% response rate.

Under the newly introduced secured employment rate indicator – which includes graduates who have accepted a job offer but have yet to commence work, as well as those starting their own ventures – SMU recorded a strong 91.4% secured employment rate, with an overall employment rate of 87.1% and a full-time permanent employment rate of 79.8%.

SMU graduates are also commanding good wages, with the average gross monthly salary rising to $5,116 from $5,057 the previous year, while the median gross salary of our graduates also increased to $4,747 from $4,600. See Annex A for more details.

Nearly Half Received Full-Time Offers Through Internships

A hallmark of SMU’s distinctive education model is its mandatory internship programme. Of graduates in full-time permanent employment,

• 30.9% of full-time permanently employed graduates are working or have worked in the same company where they interned.
• 16.4% reported being offered positions by their host companies but chose not to take up the offer.

Taken together, this indicates that nearly half of SMU graduates were offered full-time permanent employment during or after their penultimate-year internship, a strong endorsement of employer confidence in SMU talent.

SMU’s structured, mandatory internship framework contributes rigour and workplace relevance to students’ applied learning and plays a decisive role in preparing them not just for their first job, but for sustained career success.

Strong Demand Across Professional Sectors

As with previous GES findings, industries such as Finance and Insurance, Legal, Accounting & Auditing, and Information & Communication remained top employment sectors, reflecting sustained employer demand that is aligned with SMU’s disciplinary strengths. 61.4% of full-time permanently employed graduates received employment offers before graduation – a 1.3 percentage point increase compared to the 2024 cohort.

Career Services Remain Available to SMU Graduates

SMU’s Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre (DKHMCC) will continue to offer lifelong career support to all alumni of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with continued access to a 24/7 jobs portal, and personalised assistance by individual career coaches.

Preparing Graduates for a Rapidly Changing Economy

SMU Provost and Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Chair Professor of Inter-Religious Studies and Harmony, Professor Alan Chan, remarked: “While hiring conditions are becoming more cautious as organisations manage uncertainty and accelerate automation, this is precisely where SMU’s learning model proves its strength. We are intensifying our efforts to equip our students with essential human-centred competencies, such as strong critical thinking and communication skills as well as a high degree of AI fluency, which are vital to flourishing in a rapidly changing work environment. We will further enhance experiential and interactive learning that is the hallmark of an SMU education.”

SMU’s high employment rates stem from its distinctive experiential learning model, which integrates academia with real-world application. SMU’s mandatory internship programme along with the SMU-X programme and Work Study Electives connect students with industry leaders to tackle live business challenges, while community service and global exposure requirements ensure graduates develop adaptability, cross-cultural fluency, and a sense of social responsibility – attributes highly valued in today’s evolving job market.

Professor Alan Chan added, “More internship and global education opportunities will be provided, with a sharpened focus on preparing students to be Asia-ready and future-ready. Our goal is to ensure SMU graduates remain resilient, adaptable, and highly competitive, not just for today’s roles, but for the evolving careers of tomorrow.”

As Singapore’s economy evolves, the university is strengthening partnerships with industry to ensure graduates develop the applied skills, digital capabilities and adaptability required in an increasingly technology-driven labour market.

About SMU’s Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre (DKHMCC)

DKHMCC offers a range of comprehensive services, programmes, and resources for SMU students to chart their career directions and empowers them with the necessary skills to realise their potential and goals.

Each student is assigned a career coach upon matriculation to support them in career planning through his/her four-year journey at SMU. These certified coaches from DKHMCC come from diverse backgrounds and are in tune with industry developments and trends. They administer personality/career profiling tools, critique cover letters and resumes, facilitate job searches, and hone students’ interview skills.

In addition, DKHMCC offers a suite of internship readiness modules and career readiness workshops from the freshman year as part of SMU’s pioneering Finishing Touch programme. The programme equips SMU undergraduates with career planning and transferable skills, geared towards enhancing their employment prospects and fulfilling their career goals progressively throughout the four-year course of study. Every year, DKHMCC organises more than 400 events, including career and industry talks, employability clinics, career fairs, as well as networking events for our students.

Recognising the importance and value of having real-world and career-relevant work experience for its students, SMU is the first university in Singapore to make internships compulsory for all students. Students are provided opportunities via DKHMCC, which works closely with industry to ensure successful placements in internships and jobs. The DKHMCC’s close and regular contact with employers is vital in helping SMU students be market-relevant and career-ready. Students also have access to a 24/7 web-based portal (OnTRAC) to search for internships and career opportunities.

DKHMCC also offers lifelong career support to all alumni of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with continued access to the jobs portal, and personalised assistance by individual career coaches, should they require further guidance.

About SMU

A premier university in Asia, SMU is internationally recognised for its world-class research and distinguished teaching. Established in 2000, SMU’s mission is to generate leading-edge research with global impact and to produce broad-based, creative, and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. SMU’s education is known for its highly interactive, collaborative, and project-based approach to learning.

Home to over 13,000 students across undergraduate, postgraduate professional and postgraduate research programmes, SMU comprises eight schools: School of Accountancy, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Economics, School of Computing and Information Systems, Yong Pung How School of Law, School of Social Sciences, College of Integrative Studies, and College of Graduate Research Studies. SMU offers a wide range of bachelors’, masters’, and PhD degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with its schools, as well as in multidisciplinary combinations of these areas.

SMU emphasises rigorous, high-impact, multi- and interdisciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance. SMU faculty members collaborate with leading international researchers and universities around the world, as well as with partners in the business community and public sector. SMU’s city campus is a modern facility located in the heart of downtown Singapore, fostering strategic linkages with business, government, and the wider community. www.smu.edu.sg

SMU celebrates its 25 years of meaningful impact this year, and remains committed to its vision of driving innovation, transcending boundaries and transforming lives.

ANNEX A

SMU’s 2025 graduates across all eight University degree programmes enjoyed competitive monthly salaries

Computer Science graduates earn a mean gross monthly salary of $6,135. The median gross monthly salary is $6,000, unchanged from 2024. Those with Cum Laude or better earned a mean gross monthly salary of $6,513 and a median gross monthly salary of $6,250.

Information Systems graduates earn a mean gross monthly salary of $5,515 as compared to the 2024 cohort’s $5,362. The median gross monthly salary is $5,400 a significant improvement from $5,000 in 2024. Those with Cum Laude or better earned a mean gross monthly salary of $5,919 and a median gross monthly salary of $5,785.

Economics graduates earn a mean gross monthly salary of $4,900. The median gross monthly salary is $4,500. Those with Cum Laude or better earned a mean gross monthly salary of $5,247, while the median gross monthly salary is $5,000. 

Business Management graduates earn a mean gross monthly salary of $5,234, a slight increase from last year’s $5,007. The median gross monthly salary is $4,600 up from $4,500 in 2024. Those with Cum Laude or better earned a higher mean gross monthly salary of $5,618, an increase from last year’s $5,323, while the median gross monthly salary is $5,000.

Accountancy graduates earn a mean gross monthly salary of $4,774 as compared to $4,755 in 2024. The median gross monthly salary is $4,350, unchanged from 2024. Those with Cum Laude or better earned a mean gross monthly salary of $5,130 while the median gross monthly salary was $4,500.

Social Sciences graduates earn a mean gross monthly salary of $4,247. The median gross monthly salary is $4,000. Those with Cum Laude or better earned a mean gross monthly salary of $4,489. The median gross monthly salary is $4,350.

Please refer to Annex B for the detailed figures.

Annex B: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2929153/Annex_B_Web_Publication_SMU_GES_2025.pdf

Explanatory Note: Cum Laude and Merit Awards

SMU uses the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) criteria to identify degree candidates with academic excellence in the following award categories: Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude. These are Latin awards adopted from the American system, and can be translated as with Highest Distinction, with High Distinction and with Distinction, respectively.

They do not equate to the various classes of degree honours conferred by universities that follow the British system of academic honours. A graduate needs a GPA of at least 3.40 out of 4.00 to be awarded Cum Laude. All SMU bachelor’s degrees are four-year full-time programmes.

CONTACT: Jean Lim, Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communications, SMU Office of Corporate Communications & Marketing, M: +65 6828 9673| E: jeanlim@smu.edu.sg

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