Highlights from the 2010 Leading Graduate Employer Report

Ms Michele Lam, Publishing Director of GTI Media, gave a brief summary of the findings from the Singapore Graduate Barometer survey at the Singapore’s 100 leading graduate employers awards ceremony held on 15 November 2010 at InterContinental Singapore.

Here are some of the highlights from that report.

• Respondents are looking forward to an average first graduate salary of 2,993 dollars monthly, with male respondents, on average, expecting noticeably higher earnings than women.

• The sample overall prefers long-term earning potential to a high starting salary.

• In terms of working hours, the participants of the survey envisage being at their desks for an average of 44.5 hours a week and 64% of the respondents say that they plan to remain in their first position for 2 or 3 years.

• Singaporean students most prize promotion opportunities followed by professional development/training.

• Male respondents are attracted to employer leadership style, while female respondents prioritise a work-life balance over products and services offered by their future employer.

• All respondents set a lower priority value on corporate social responsibility, workplace location and opportunities to work abroad. In fact, these are not important factors when choosing a first employer for respondents from Malaysia and Hong Kong as well.

• Good work-life balance is strongly prioritised over a highly demanding position. The opportunity to develop specialised skills is considered very important in a first job compared to general skills.

• In terms of mobility, only 7% of respondents do not wish to relocate, making Singaporean graduates more mobile than Hong Kong graduates based on our survey in Hong Kong. Asia is the most preferred destination for relocation followed by Europe.

• 66% of this sample reports being  ‘optimistic’ about their post-graduation career prospects.

• Over 58% of graduates feel that their university prepared them well for the world of work, and 56% of current students feel the same way.

For the complete report, please contact GTI Asia