Nearly half of Singapore fresh graduates who have completed the government-backed Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) programme have since found employment — a sign that work experience is becoming increasingly important in a more cautious entry-level job market.
SINGAPORE — For many fresh graduates, earning a university degree is no longer enough to guarantee a smooth transition into the workforce.
That reality is becoming increasingly visible in Singapore, where the government’s Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) programme is helping young jobseekers gain practical experience while they navigate a more cautious hiring environment.
More than 140 trainees have completed their GRIT stints, and almost half have since secured employment, according to figures provided to CNA by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA). Of those who found jobs, about four in 10 were hired by the companies that hosted their traineeships, while the rest found employment elsewhere.
The programme was launched in October 2025 to help fresh graduates who were struggling to secure their first full-time job. It offers traineeships lasting between three and six months, with the government funding 70 per cent of each trainee’s monthly allowance and host organisations covering the remaining 30 per cent.
From trainee to full-time employee
One beneficiary is 25-year-old Kenneth Chow, who graduated from Nanyang Technological University in 2025 with a business degree.
Rather than immediately entering a conventional business role, Chow was considering a career in technology sales. His GRIT placement with LinkedIn gave him an opportunity to test that career path through actual workplace responsibilities.
Just three months into the traineeship, he received an offer to join the company full time as a sales development representative.
His experience illustrates one of the central ideas behind GRIT: giving graduates something increasingly demanded by employers — demonstrable workplace experience.
More than 590 traineeships already filled
The programme initially provided 800 traineeship places across the private and public sectors.
By July 2026, more than 590 places had been filled, according to SWDA figures cited by CNA. The programme now covers more than 40 private-sector organisations and more than 50 public-sector agencies, spanning areas such as financial and professional services, information and communications, wholesale trade and electronics.
Government information states that GRIT traineeships generally provide monthly allowances ranging from S$1,800 to S$2,400, depending on the role and scope of the traineeship.
The programme has also been extended to Singapore’s 2026 graduating cohort.
Why are graduates finding it harder to land their first job?
The GRIT programme comes as Singapore’s graduate employment picture has softened.
According to the Ministry of Manpower, around 18,000 fresh graduates from Singapore’s autonomous universities were in the latest cohort. As of June 2026, about 9,100 had found employment, while approximately 3,600 were still seeking work. Another 5,400 were outside the labour force, mainly because they were pursuing further studies or taking a break before entering employment.
The number of entry-level professional, managerial, executive and technician — or PMET — vacancies increased slightly from 32,500 in December 2025 to 32,800 in March 2026.
So the problem is not simply a lack of vacancies.
Instead, graduates are increasingly facing a mismatch between the jobs available and the experience or skills employers expect from applicants.
CNA previously reported that there were 32,800 entry-level PMET vacancies in March, representing 43.6 per cent of all PMET openings. Yet some fresh graduates continue to report difficulty securing those positions despite the seemingly large number of vacancies.
Experience is becoming the new currency
Industry observers say employers often look beyond academic qualifications when choosing between candidates with similar degrees.
Internships, part-time employment and other forms of workplace exposure can demonstrate whether a graduate has already developed practical skills such as communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving.
That is creating a difficult cycle for young workers:
Employers want experience — but graduates need a first job to get it.
CNA’s reporting found that some students are now completing multiple internships in an effort to improve their chances of securing a permanent position. However, human-resources professionals caution that simply accumulating internships does not necessarily translate into better employability. The quality and relevance of the experience matter more than the number of placements.
But traineeships are not meant to replace permanent jobs
The success of GRIT comes with an important caveat.
Experts warn that traineeships should remain a bridge into employment, rather than becoming a substitute for entry-level jobs.
National University of Singapore Business School professor Lawrence Loh told CNA that an excessive expansion of government-supported traineeships could distort the labour market if companies begin relying on trainees instead of creating permanent positions.
Singapore Human Resources Institute chief executive Alvin Goh similarly described GRIT as a useful intervention in a soft and uncertain hiring market, but cautioned that it should not become the default route for graduates entering the workforce.
The concern is straightforward: if graduates repeatedly move from one traineeship to another without securing permanent employment, the system could inadvertently create another hurdle rather than remove one.
The AI factor is making the entry-level race tougher
The pressure on new graduates is also arriving as artificial intelligence reshapes entry-level work.
Across industries, employers are increasingly looking for candidates who can demonstrate practical digital, analytical and AI-related capabilities. At the same time, some traditional junior-level tasks are becoming easier to automate.
That makes hands-on experience even more valuable — but it also raises the bar for what employers expect from someone entering the workforce for the first time.
The challenge is therefore no longer simply:
“Do you have a degree?”
It is increasingly:
“What can you actually do with it?”
Singapore’s own employment-support initiatives reflect that shift. GRIT is designed around structured, industry-relevant experience, while government career services continue to encourage graduates to strengthen skills, obtain career guidance and connect directly with employers.
A lifeline — but not a long-term solution
For graduates like Kenneth Chow, the model can work exactly as intended: a short traineeship provides the experience and confidence needed to secure a permanent role.
But the broader numbers suggest Singapore’s graduate employment challenge is more complicated.
The government has expanded the programme and more than 590 of the 800 available places had been filled by July. Yet the fact that almost half of completed trainees have found jobs also means that many others have yet to make that transition.
GRIT may therefore be helping graduates cross the first rung of the career ladder — but it does not answer the bigger question facing Singapore’s young workforce:
If employers increasingly want experienced workers, where will tomorrow’s graduates get their first real opportunity?
That could determine whether today’s traineeships become a successful launchpad — or merely another stop in an increasingly competitive race for entry-level jobs.
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