PUBLISHED ONFebruary 21, 2025 2:00 AMByLim KeweiIn her second year of studies at Republic Polytechnic, biotechnology student Joanne Chew decided to apply for a scholarship with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to pursue her passion for food biotechnology.
The then 18-year-old took on an internship stint with the agency as part of the application process and was eventually awarded its Singapore Sustainability Scholarship (Diploma).
Aside from gaining financial support, the Class of 2024 graduate also landed herself a full-time job — recipients of this scholarship have to fulfil a two-year bond period.
In 2024, fewer fresh polytechnic graduates found full-time employment as compared to previous years, according to a joint survey conducted by the five local polytechnics which was released this January.
Of the 7,614 fresh polytechnic graduates who responded to the survey, about half were in the labour force as of Oct 1, 2024, six months after graduation.
49.2 per cent of these fresh graduates in the labour force had secured full-time permanent employment, a dip from the 55.5 per cent in 2023 and 56.1 per cent in 2022.
More significantly, 11.3 per cent of the respondents were unemployed and still looking for a job. This is up from 4.7 per cent in 2023 and 6.3 per cent in 2022.
Chew is one of those who buck the trend.
The 20-year-old told AsiaOne that the scholarship offer was an opportunity for her to contribute directly to Singapore's food landscape while furthering her education in a field she is passionate about.
"As a recent graduate entering the competitive job market, I am glad to have secured employment with the SFA that aligns with my passion," she said.
"Attaining the scholarship and gaining relevant work experience have significantly enhanced my competitiveness in the job market."
Chew declined to reveal her salary.
As part of the team overseeing operations and regulatory enforcement at Jurong Fishery Port (JFP), her job responsibilities include facilitating import operations and vessel movements as well as conducting data analysis on trends and activities at the port during her day shifts in the office.
When on night shifts, she and the team conduct inspections at the JFP market and collect seafood samples to send for laboratory testing to ensure food safety.
Chew also shared that her parents are very supportive of her job and proud of her contribution to the food science sector.
"Their encouragement has been a significant source of motivation for me, especially when facing challenges in this dynamic field."
She plans to further her education and pursue a degree in biotechnology or food science and technology.
In a Parliament sitting on Feb 4, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said there was lower hiring demand and fewer job vacancies in 2024 as compared to 2023. This would have contributed to the findings of the survey by the five polytechnics.
He noted that some course clusters such as Health Sciences and Humanities and Social Sciences continued to see strong employment outcomes, while graduates from course clusters such as Engineering and Information & Digital Technologies had higher unemployment rates.
"This could be due to cyclical sectoral changes, such as the downturn in the tech sector, which also affected hiring demand," he explained.
Minister Chan added that some graduates who received full-time permanent job offers had declined them for reasons including a perceived lack of work-life balance, or unsatisfaction with the offered pay.
"For 2025, given the global economic uncertainties, we will continue to monitor the situation closely together with the polytechnics and industry partners."
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