Fewer polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates are taking up full-time permanent jobs, as more opt for freelance, part-time and temporary work.
Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary gave two reasons for this development in Parliament yesterday.
One is that students are taking up part-time work while preparing for further studies, he told Workers' Party Non-Constituency MP Leon Perera.
Others are choosing not to do full-time permanent work because of freelance or part-time stints, or other reasons, he added.
A small number of students are in part-time work not out of choice, or are still looking for employment.
Dr Janil noted that the proportion of polytechnic and ITE graduates in full-time permanent jobs fell from 77 per cent in 2007 to 58 per cent in 2016.
The figures are based on employment surveys conducted six months after the students finished their final examinations.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) will do an in-depth study of the trends to understand how students make decisions on their careers and further studies, Dr Janil said.
He noted that more of them are choosing further studies instead of working, driven by the expansion of education pathways for students at polytechnics and universities.
Overall, he said the employment rate of polytechnic and ITE graduates has remained high over the past decade - about nine in 10 graduates found jobs each year.
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58%
Proportion of polytechnic and ITE graduates in full-time permanent jobs in 2016, down from 77 per cent in 2007.
Separately, Dr Janil told Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) that MOE will not revisit the names of merged schools.
"We should let the schools focus on their teaching and learning programmes to benefit their students," he said.
Mr Zainal had asked if the ministry would be willing to reconsider the names of merged schools to "manage ground sensitivities".
Last month, the MOE announced that four merged junior colleges would take on the original names of the eight schools. For each pair, the name of the older JC will come first to reflect its longer history and heritage.
Dr Janil said the decision to have combined names was made to "allow the merging JCs to move forward as a combined entity".
In naming merged schools, he said the MOE considers factors including the schools' history and heritage, stakeholders' interest and the sentiments of the schools involved.
